Clash Of The Worlds
by NovaCaine9923
Summary: A wild but brief sort of storm conjoins the worlds of Monsters and Fairy Tales, and two particular high schools must deal with the idea of being a mile away from each other. The students must figure out what caused this, and how to stop great evil and fear from tearing them apart. (ON HIATUS UNTIL I FIND A WAY TO CONTINUE)
1. Chapter 1

**To whoever decided to click on this story:**

 **If you are familiar with me or any of my past works, you may remember my most popular story- "Once Upon A Nightmare". I wrote it about two years ago, and it currently has over 40 reviews (the most reviews any of my stories has received), but it once had a totally different storyline than what you may recall.**

 **Once Upon A Nightmare was originally supposed to be a crossover with Ever After High, but because the story I had in mind for that was flawed and had a lot of issues, I scrapped it, and the story's title was given to a completely different fanfiction. The crossover idea seemed utterly hopeless, and I told myself I would never write it.**

 **Here I am, two years later, writing this introduction. I am in the middle of another story at the moment, but I couldn't help but stray from that story to write this one. I am aware that Mattel is/was planning an EAH and MH crossover, but I wanted to give it my own spin. If you are here from the Ever After High Fandom, then I beg that you forgive me if someone acts out of character or if a certain piece of information is missed. Ever After High never really caught my interest as much Monster High did, but I'm trying to learn what I can from these characters.**

 **Thank you for reading, and please enjoy!**

* * *

 _Prologue:_

In the beginning, there was nothing.

And then, there were people.

The people divided themselves into two social classes: the commoners and the heroes. The heroes had their title because they did things that most commoners were too scared to do- they fought dragons, they defended themselves and their villages from ghastly creatures and enemies of all kinds, and their kisses of true love could break any curse. The commoners looked up to the heroes and loved them dearly, and they wrote down stories about these heroes so they would not be erased from history. The heroes had their own village, and the commoners had theirs. Life seemed to be in perfect balance.

Then, the Great Storm came. It washed away the heroes' village, and it sent them to a completely different reality from the commoners. The heroes were replaced by the monsters, and without the heroes to protect them, the commoners retreated to a separate area. They hoped and prayed that the heroes would return one day, but to no avail.

When an oracle in a temple was asked about whether or not the heroes would come back, he gave this prophecy:

"One day, there will be a portal to the heroes' world, and you will be able to cross over and see them. However, many years into the future, The Great Storm will return and bring the heroes with it. The Monsters, Commoners, and Heroes will all live in harmony, but you must all learn to live together,"

The weeks became months, and the months became years. The years became decades, and the commoners soon lost all hope and wiped the heroes away from their history. Those stories which were once truth were now just stories for children or 'Fairy Tales'. Future generations saw the stories as just that- stories.

Little did the commoners know, centuries later, the oracle would prove to be correct.

Chapter One:

C.A Cupid returned to Monster High through the usual portal, and she had a whole slew of stories to tell her friends.

On Monday morning, she hurried eagerly to her group of friends, and they readily embraced her with open arms. Throughout that morning, Cupid told anyone and everyone who would listen all about the Fairy Tale World and how wonderful everything was. The monsters of Monster High were all amazed by what they heard, but some thought Cupid's stories were, well, fabricated. Toralei Stripe, for example, believed the stories to be fabricated.

"She's full of it," Toralei snorted during lunch that day, as she and the werecat twins watched Cupid talk animatedly about her adventures. "I mean, really- all this talk about Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, and whatever...she's off her rocker,"

"It does sound kind of cool," admitted Purrsephone quietly. "I used to love Fairy Tales,"

Meowlody agreed. "Yeah, come on, Toralei. Do you think we could try her portal?"

Toralei scoffed. " _Her_ portal? Come on, girls. You really believe a word out of her mouth? Anyway, I'm not interested,"

"But, yeah," concluded Cupid as she finished another story. "That's just the way things worked out,"

Frankie tapped her chin with her plastic fork thoughtfully. "I think the whole idea behind their school is kind of, well, sad. You mean they _have_ to follow in their parents' footsteps, no matter what?"

"Yeah," admitted Cupid. "See, there's this idea that if they don't follow their destinies, they die, and their entire universe collapses. I'm not sure how true that is, though,"

Upon hearing this, Jackson considered the idea. "Huh. It may just be a myth. I don't see how their whole world could just stop because of someone not following the footsteps of their parents, but I feel like I would hate that. Can you imagine if we had to do that?" he shuddered at the thought. "I think we should all be grateful that Holt will never become the original Mr. Hyde,"

Cupid chuckled a bit, looking away. "Yes, we should all be _very_ grateful," her eyes wandered across the Creepateria until they landed on one particular vampire: Kieran Valentine.

"What's he doing here?" she asked, rather surprised.

"Oh, Valentine?" Frankie looked too, and she shook her head. "A lot's happened since you've been gone, Cupid. He's reformed now, but he's just become...really awkward, I dunno,"

There was a brief pause as Cupid watched Valentine eat all by himself. "He's alone,"

"Leave him," it was Clawd. "Personally, I still don't trust him. He's probably waiting for the right moment to-"

"Stop it!" Cupid cut him off, and she stood up after a moment. "I'm going to invite him over,"

She turned out the protests from her friends as she walked briskly to the table and placed a hand on the vampire's shoulder. "Hey, Kieran! How are you doing?"

Valentine looked up, rather surprised. "Chariclo! W...what brings you here?"

"I just got back," Cupid sat down, smiling at him. "It's good to see you again,"

When he realized that she bore no grudge, he grinned right back at her. "You too,"

Over at the werecats' table, Meowlody noticed the interaction between the two other monsters. "Uh oh. Don't look now, but it seems Cupid's got a friend,"

"Who?" Toralei looked up, and rage instantly filled her veins. "Oh, _hell_ no!"

Purrsephone rolled her eyes at the reaction. "Come on, Toralei. You guys broke up like a month ago. It's time you got over him already,"

Toralei didn't argue. Instead, she just glared from her spot as Cupid pulled up a chair for Valentine to sit in.

And then- Toralei got a horrible, awful, _wicked_ idea.

"Actually," her facial expression changed, and her voice slowed. "Maybe we should get Cupid to show us that portal,"

Meowlody quirked an eyebrow. "What? Why?"

A grin slowly spread across Toralei's face. "But not her usual portal," she turned to her friends, her eyes agleam with mischief. "She's got to make one. _From scratch,_ "

Towards the end of that same day, Cupid went to the gym to set up some decorations for the big casket-ball game that evening. As she hoisted herself up on a chair to hang some streamers, the werecats approached her.

"Hiya, Cupid!" greeted Toralei in an obnoxiously loud tone, startling poor Cupid terribly. "Could you do my friends and I a little favor?"

Cupid sighed and rolled her eyes. "You must think I'm really stupid,"

Toralei smirked and crossed her arms, amused. "And why is that?"

"Don't you get it?" Cupid climbed down from the chair, gathering some more decorations. "I'm not trusting you wth anything ever again. Not after what happened last time,"

When Cupid stepped back on the chair, Toralei began again. "Look, it's really nothing special. Nothing at all! Just a small favor for my friends and I,"

Cupid considered the request, and she slowly got back down to face the werecats. "What do you need?"

"I need you to take us through a portal," explained Toralei, lifting her chin up. "A portal to your Fairy Tale World. And not your regular portal, a brand new one!"

C.A Cupid took in the information slowly, and she shook her head. "No. No, forget it. No way am I going to make a portal for you and then take you through it. It's too risky,"

"Aw, come on!" protested Meowlody. "You've talked it up so much, we'd love to see it!"

"I might be able to take you there someday," Cupid tried to explain gently. "But it will be through the regular portal that's been around awhile, not a fresh one. Besides, why do you want a homemade portal, anyway?"

Toralei just smiled deviously. "Why, so we can have a direct link from here to the other school. Here's an idea- make it in the Catacombs!"

At this, Cupid picked up the box of decorations and began to walk away. "You've lost your mind, Toralei! I won't be making a portal to anywhere, and it's not going to be in the catacombs!"

Cupid walked maybe ten inches away before Toralei pulled out a slip of paper with a dramatic sigh. "Then you leave me no choice. I suppose I'll have to leave _this_ at Valentine's locker,"

Toralei tried to hide her giddiness as Cupid froze directly in her tracks and turned around. "What is that?"

"Nothing," Toralei batted her eyelashes, trying to look innocent. "Just a little note,"

"Let me see that!" Cupid nearly threw the box on the ground and stalked up Toralei, snatching the note away. It read:

" _Party tonight after the casket-ball game in the gym! We'd love it if you could come!_

 _\- Clawd"_

Cupid's brow furrowed. "Are you serious!? Are you going to stand Valentine up or something?"

"Maybe," Toralei grinned devilishly. "After all, we all know Clawd would _never_ invite Valentine to a party like that,"

"You're disgusting!" snarled Cupid. "I can't believe you would try and play a joke on a poor, lonely manster-"

"Unless," Toralei cut her off, plucking the note from er white hand. "You make that portal for us,"

Cupid fell silent, and she looked away. She tried to think of an alternative, but with those werecats staring her down in such a manner, she felt she had to give in. "Fine! But you have to promise me that Headmistress Bloodgood won't find out. Making a portal from scratch is risky business,"

Toralei just grinned. "Oh, she won't. Just get someone to keep watch! Meet you in the Catacombs in one hour,"

It is unknown if this event was what would trigger the return of The Great Storm, but experts years later would agree that it certainly was a factor.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

There were only thirty minutes left of the school day when Cupid, Frankie, and Draculaura made their way to the Catacombs.

"So, remind me again-" Draculaura sipped her smoothie in a concerned manner. "What is it you need Frankie and I to do?"

"Just stand right here," Cupid gestured to the entrance. "And make sure Bloodgood doesn't come in. She'd be livid if she found out what we were doing,"

Frankie couldn't help but express her thoughts at this time. "Cupid, don't you think this is a little...I don't know, a little foolish? Toralei and the twins are up to no good, I can just feel it!"

"So can I," admitted Cupid, rearranging the supplies in her paper bag. "But, if it stops them from hurting Valentine, it'll be worth it,"

As Cupid turned briskly on her heel and walked deeper into the Catacombs, Draculaura wondered aloud, "Is she in love with him or something?"

In the center of the dark, chilly Catacombs, Toralei and her friends waited for Cupid to arrive.

"So, what's your plan, again?" inquired Purrsephone.

"Easy," smirked Toralei. "We'll get her to make the portal, and when she takes us to the other side, we'll run back before her to close up the portal so she'll be trapped there! That'll get her to leave Valentine be,"

Meowlody couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Toralei, he's done with you. Can't you just-"

"Hush!" Toralei silenced her quickly. "She's coming!"

Cupid came from around the corner, and she set the bag down on the ground. "I've got everything right here. Now, making a portal isn't exactly an easy process, so you have to understand-"

"Yeah, yeah," Toralei waved her off. "Get to it, will you?"

With a heavy sigh, Cupid dropped to her knees and reached into her bag, pulling out a piece of pure white chalk. She drew a large circle on the floor, and then she painted a glittery sort of paint within the circle. "To ward off evil spirits," she explained, setting the paintbrush down.

Toralei checked her phone. There were only twenty minutes left of the last period. "Hurry up, hurry up!" growled Toralei, clenching her teeth.

"I'm going, I'm going!" snapped Cupid, reaching for a jar of Hippocampus tears.

Within five minutes, the circle was fully painted, charmed, and ready. There were only two more materials left.

"A pin from Ever After High School," Cupid held up a small, gold pin that was in the shape of a book.

Purrsephone recognized it almost right away. "Hey, our school has some of those, too!"

"Yeah, they're pins!" Toralei said hastily. "Just do it!"

Delicately, Cupid placed the pin on the outer edge of the circle, and the portal sprang to life. The circle split open, and small void filled with stars was now present. Meowlody and Purrsephone couldn't help but stare in awe.

"Look at it," Purrsephone remarked breathlessly. "I had no idea it was so...pretty!"

Cupid then held up a jar filled with clear liquid. "Now, I hold here a jar filled with Essential travel oils. This will help us close the portal when we get back, all right?"

Toralei glanced it her phone one more. There were thirteen minutes left. "I think we're ready!"

"Come with me," Cupid beckoned the werecats, and they stepped through the portal together. However, something happened.

There was a bright light, and the four ghouls found themselves tumbling right back onto the floor of the Catacombs, where they'd just been.

"Wha-?" Cupid regained her composure, then walked over to the portal in shock. "But...I don't understand! I followed the instructions!"

Toralei snorted, annoyed. "Well, you clearly didn't follow them very well!"

Cupid pulled a bobby pin from her hair, and she experimentally dropped it into the portal. When it flew right back out seconds later, Cupid shook her head in disbelief. "No, no. Something's going on, and it's not me,"

Just then, the sound of boots clicking against the stone floor echoed across the Catacombs. "Miss Cupid!" it was Headmistress Bloodgood, and Frankie and Draculaura were trailing right behind her. Frankie just looked at Cupid apologetically and mouthed, 'Sorry.'

"Ms. Bloodgood!" Cupid tried to explain. "T-this isn't what it looks like-"

"Oh, this is _exactly_ what it looks like!" Bloodgood crossed her arms, her eyes narrowing fiercely. "Who gave you permission to build a homemade portal in the Catacombs, for ghoul's sake!?"

Before Cupid could answer, the portal suddenly snapped shut on its own. Everyone turned to look at it.

"What just happened?" asked Draculaura nervously.

Bloodgood raised an eyebrow, and she looked over the spot where the portal had been. After a few moments, she turned back to the students.

"I want you all in my office, now!" she reprimanded. "We're all going to have a little chat about this misconduct,"

Cupid felt sick inside. She'd only wanted to help Valentine, but she caused so much trouble on her first day back. Reluctantly, she headed up the stairs with Bloodgood, expecting a strict punishment.

However, the punishment never came. As the seven monsters arrived at the hallway, they were surprised to see many of the Monster High students gathered at the windows, all murmuring quietly amongst themselves.

"What's going on?" Frankie asked, worried.

"There's a huge cloud comin' this way," explained Clawdeen, not taking her eyes off the large mass in the sky. "Looks like a storm's coming,"

Bloodgood put her hand against the window and looked out at the sky, her brow furrowing. "Well," she concluded after about a minute. "I'm sure it's nothing to worry about,"

"Oh, my God!" it was Heath Burns, from several feet away. "The rain is glowing!"

Sure enough, tiny, radiant orbs were falling from the sky. A few of the students tried to run outside to get a better look, but Bloodgood stopped them. "No! It could be dangerous. Let me go, wait here,"

She pushed the side door open and stepped outside, looking up. The little orbs were beginning to fall faster, and when Bloodgood caught one in her hand, it melted instantly. The students all watched from within the building, holding their breaths.

Just then, a loud crash of thunder that sounded like the world's biggest bottle of champagne bursting open boomed across the sky, bringing a flash of lightening with it. Startled, Bloodgood rushed back inside, yelling, "Shut all the doors! Lock all the windows! It's a bad one!"

Another bolt of lightening lit up the sky, only this time, it was bright blue. The thunder crashed once more.

"This is scary," remarked Draculaura, visibly shaken. "And not the good kind of scary,"

Clawd tried to comfort her. "I'm sure it's nothing, Laura. Let's just-"  
He was cut off by a massive flash of lightning that was so potent that all the lights went out. As the students all yelped in shock, Bloodgood tried to reassure them.

"Just keep calm, everyone! It'll be over soon enough,"

The loudest and last clap of thunder hit everyone's ears, and then it was all quiet. Slowly but surely, the cloud dissolved, and the rays of light began to climb through the darkness.

Cupid lifted her head, and she looked around. "W-what happened?"

"Something happened to the trees!" yelled Venus, who was staring out the back window. "The lightning tore a path right through them!"

Robecca peeked over her shoulder, and she squinted in confusion. "What's that building over there? Has it always been there?"

Cupid pushed between both ghouls to look for herself, and her jaw dropped. "Oh, no way!"

She opened the back door of the building and rushed outside, stopping and taking in what she saw.

The woods behind the school were missing a whole section of trees, creating a long and narrow path to the other side.

On the other side lay the last thing Cupid expected to see: Ever After High.

* * *

 **Wow, everyone! The response to this has been pretty good so far! Sorry, this is short, but the chapter after this will be a bit more lengthy.**

 **I hope you've been enjoying this! I've been very excited to write this, and I hope you continue to read.**

 **Any questions, comments, theories, or even ideas? I'm happy to hear them! Please write a review with anything you have to say and I will give it a look. I love getting feedback from readers!**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

Cupid's feet pounded on the grass beneath her as she rushed to the doors of Ever After High and knocked rapidly, breathing heavily all the while.

"Please open, please open," her words came out in breathy murmurs as her hand shook. Everything felt like such a blur- none of it seemed real.

Finally, after thirty painstaking seconds, the doors opened.

"C.A Cupid?! Is that you?" it was Headmaster Grimm, and Cupid had never been so glad to see him.

"Oh, Headmaster Grimm!" She couldn't refrain from throwing her arms around him. "You're alive! I thought something terrible happened!"

Disgruntled and rather shaken, he pried her off. "Of course I'm alive! The better question is," he took a better look at her, grimacing. "Are you?"

"What do you me-" it was then that Cupid looked down, and she realized that she was still in her monster appearance, with her white skin and bony wings. "But-but- how!?" Everything seemed to swirl around her. This had to be a dream, for nothing was making sense.

The sound of voices from inside the building caught Cupid's ears, and the awareness struck her like a stone. The students were coming out, and both schools were about to meet! Cupid's mind raced- she'd hoped that she could get her friends from both worlds to meet one day, but never like this. Not so soon and suddenly.

Before any Ever After High student could recognize her, Cupid whirled around and bolted back to the other school, hoping she could prepare both sides for the inevitable meeting that was about to take place.

"Cupid? Hey, Cupid, wait!" Apple White broke into a run but stopped when she noticed the path that was ripped through the trees. "What-?"

Raven walked up and joined her, staring in awe. "What even happened? Has that other building always been there?"

By the time Cupid reached the other building, several Monster High students were already pouring outside. Gasping, Cupid leaped in front of them to hold them off.

"Stop!" she yelled, panting. "Please, stay right where you are- just for a few seconds!"

"Cupid, what's going on!?" Clawdeen inquired. "What is that place?"

"It's..." she took a breath. "It's Ever After Highschool. You know, my Fairytale school?"

Bloodgood heard this, but she was completely silent. She looked up and out into the new path, and her eyes quickly met with Headmaster Grimm's. Still, without a word, she lifted a hand towards her students (clearing telling them to 'wait') and walked out into the path, where she met the Headmaster right in the center.

Nobody heard what they said, but Bloodgood was saying something very seriously to him. He nodded and responded, and Bloodgood turned to look back at her students.

"I just don't know what to tell them," Cupid heard Bloodgood say at one point. Headmaster Grimm said something to her that will forever remain unknown, but whatever it was, it filled her with rage to the point where she whirled around and smacked him square in the face.

The Monster High students who saw it flinched slightly at the ferocity, and they went into a shocked silence as Bloodgood stalked back to them.

"I hate men," she growled as she swung the back door open, disappearing inside and leaving the students alone.

Headmaster Grimm didn't seem to react in any way after the slap, and he slowly turned around to look back at the two girls standing behind him.

"What was that about?" asked Raven, concerned. "Who was she?"

He didn't say anything, and he too just went back inside without a word. When he was gone, another door opened, and the Ever After High students stepped outside cautiously, one by one.

"Is that..." Frankie squinted, getting Cupid's attention. "Is that them?"

Cupid examined the situation: two huge groups of students, from completely different schools, stood one mile away from one another on opposite sides. There was only one thing left to do.

Taking a breath, Cupid walked up to the middle of the path, and she tried to beckon the Ever After High students, but they would not move. In fact, both groups seemed to be ignoring her- they just stared at each other, wide-eyed and curious.

"Is anyone gonna say anything?" Jackson whispered, nervous.

After a long pause, Cupid cleared her throat. "Okay, so, everyone-"

Before she could finish, Daring Charming shoved her away and stalked up to the monsters confrontationally, flashing a sword at them. "Stay back!" he warned, his voice loud and sharp. "I've been trained for this, I'll have you know!"

As a few monsters shrieked in alarm at the sudden threat, Clawd Wolf quickly stepped forward and put his hands up. "Hey, hey! We're not going to hurt you! Now, just put the weapon down, will you?"

Daring lowered the sword slowly, though he was visibly on edge. "How do I know you won't attack me and the others?" he asked after a moment, his brows knitting together.

"You're just going to have to trust us, all right?" Clawd spoke slowly and clearly, and he watched as the new stranger put the sword back in its sheath. "Now, look- we're just as confused as you are. Did a storm happen to you guys, too?"

"Yes," answered Daring after a few seconds. "The boys and I- we were outside practicing, and we heard some thunder, so we went back inside. Then, the next minute, I looked out the window, and there were..." he trailed off, trying to remember. "There were blue sparks falling everywhere, and then all are lights blew out,"

"That's just what happened to us!" Heath pushed through the crowd, standing beside Clawd. "Do you know what happened?"

"I'm afraid I don't," admitted Daring. "But-"

All of the sudden, a voice shouted, "I told you!"

The sea of Ever After High students parted, and Madeline Hatter was standing there waving around an old book. "I said this would happen, didn't I!? And _you_ didn't believe me! What now, huh!? The Great Storm did come back!"

There was a long pause, and Daring just turned back to Clawd. "So...what do we do, now?"

Clawd shrugged. "I don't know," his eyes wandered to the sword around Daring's waist, and then back up. "You won't threaten me with that again, will you?"

"Not if you don't try to bite me,"

There was a slight pause, and Clawd gave a slight chuckle. "Ha, no. I don't like white meat,"

Daring looked up, his eyes wide in surprise. After a few seconds, he suddenly began laughing.

When the other students saw this, they knew that there was nothing to fear, and the two groups met each other in the middle and began to mingle.

Cupid took all this in, and a joyful wave of relief swept over her. This was excellent, far better than she'd ever expected! Giddy and excited, she ran up and grabbed the arm of the first friend she saw.

"Apple, come here!" she gently tugged the surprised girl to some Monster High girls. "Meet...uh...Frankie!" Cupid tapped o Frankie's arm, getting her attention. "Frankie! Meet Apple White!"

Their eyes met, and Frankie smiled at her. "Hi! How are you?"

Apple just stood there, looking shocked, but she quickly jumped to attention. "Oh! Uh, hello there! I'm fine! Um...p-pleased to make your acquaintance!" she reached out and shook Frankie's hand, only to pull back and yelp in surprise.

"What!?" Frankie reached for her, concerned. "Are you okay!?"

"I'm all right, I'm all right!" Apple assured. "It's just...your hands are so cold!"

"Oh," Frankie understood. "Sorry about that, but that's what happens when you're made of dead people!" Frankie tried to grin, but her smile faded when she saw the look on Apple's face. "I'm sorry,"

After a moment, Apple shook her head quickly. "Please don't be sorry," she tried to change the subject. "I love your lipstick! What shade is that?"

As the two girls got to know each other, Cupid decided to try and help make some more friends. However, everyone was so busy greeting each other that nobody noticed the shadowy figure slip from Monster High's back doors and into the deep woods.

* * *

 **Hello again, everyone! I'm so glad you've decided to keep reading, and I thank you for showing your appreciation with all your favorites and reviews!**

 **Do you like everything so far? Do you have any ideas, questions, comments or theories? If so, let me know in your review, and I will try and adress them!**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

 _Fools._

Everyone was so distracted by the storm that no one was keeping an eye on any of the mirrors. It was almost too easy to escape.

That final blast of thunder had broken right through the mirror prison, and she was free. The Evil Queen was free.

Now that all of the Ever After High staff were disoriented by the storm, she could escape. She flung the window open, hoisted herself up, and dropped right down.

She had predicted this, but not so soon. She'd longed for the day when the worlds would collide, so she could enact her plan.

For now, The Evil Queen had to wait for him in the woods. She knew that the storm could de-petrify those affected by a gorgon's stare, so she knew the first thing he would do is escape.

There was the sound of footsteps through the leaves- there he was now! She smiled knowingly and turned around to face him.

"It seems you have escaped," she spoke slowly, stopping him. "I've been waiting for this day- Van Hellscream,"

He stood there, staring at her blankly, still shaken. He clutched something wrapped up in an old sheet, and he recoiled slightly when the queen neared him.

"Oh, don't be afraid!" She assured sweetly. "I've been watching you, and I would very much appreciate it if we could join forces," she looked around tentatively. "Now, where's your friend? Wasn't there someone with you?"

Van Hellscream remained silent for several seconds until he opened up the sheet and dumped out the contents: thick, copious dust.

"She did not survive the de-petrification process," he explained, his voice devoid of emotion.

There was a long, uncomfortable silence, and then the queen laughed nervously. "Well, then! It doesn't seem that we need her, do we?" she took his arm and smiled wickedly at him. "Look here: we both want different things, and we can both get them if we work together,"

He raised an eyebrow. "What do you have in mind?"

"Come with me," she led him through the trees. "When we get to my old castle, I'll show you everything,"

Back at the tree path, the boys on the Monster High Casket-ball team all received a text message from their coach, saying that tonight's game had been canceled. Despite the confusion and the students only knowing each other for a few minutes, they decided to just hang out in the clearing so they could get to know one another.

"Hey, Clawdeen!" Frankie called her friend, who was sitting on the bench a few feet away. "I'm taking the other girls to the library. You coming?"

Clawdeen nodded, retrieving her phone. "Yeah, just a minute," as she began to text her mother, Howleen came bounding up to the bench.

"What's that smell?" asked Howleen, wrinkling her nose.

Clawdeen quirked an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Howleen sniffed deeply. "It's...it's another wolf!" she turned towards the trees. "Somewhere in the woods!"

"Howleen, don't be dumb," sighed Clawdeen. "There are no werewolves in..." she stopped, and then she caught the smell, too. "Wait a second. Who is that?"

Something rustled in the bushes, and the two sisters exchanged glances. They both headed to the woods to look around, only to see a figure dart far away from them.

"Hey!" Clawdeen called out, breaking into a run. "Come back! We want to talk to you!"

The two wolves caught up to the stranger, who was covered by a red cape. As the stranger stopped and pulled the coat tighter around themselves, Clawdeen tried to talk to them again.

"Who are you? We caught your scent back there. Were you watching us?"

The stranger was silent, and then they turned around. It was a human-looking girl, but her scent kept telling Clawdeen and Howleen that she was a wolf or at least a hybrid. She shifted nervously.

"I'm sorry," she apologized softly. "I just...I've never seen wolves like you before,"

Clawdeen tilted her head to the side curiously. "What do you mean? Don't you have a pack?" when the girl didn't respond, Clawdeen took another step forward. "What's your name, honey?"

Before she could answer, a few other wolves slipped out from the trees and stared at her curiously. Her mouth dropped open at the sight of all of them- they'd obviously caught her scent as well. There was no hiding anything now, yet somehow, that was a relief.

"Cerise," she dropped the hood around her shoulders, and her canine ears stood up, revealing themselves. "M-my name is Cerise!"

Romulus had stepped up beside Clawdeen, and he stared down at Cerise cooly. "Interesting, you're not like anything other wolves we've met. You wanna come hang out with us?"

Though she knew she could quite possibly get in trouble with the Headmaster for this, Cerise couldn't stop the laugh from escaping her chest. "Yes! Yes, I do,"

She ran with them through the woods, and she'd never felt so alive in her life.

Further down into the Monster High courtyard, a group of boys from both schools had spread out a section of a tablecloth to sit on in the grass, and they were all chatting about themselves.

"So, tell me again," Dexter scratched his head, trying to understand. "You mean to tell me that...the name of that sport that got canceled was...'casket-ball'?"

Jackson nodded. "Uh-huh. I understand that it takes some getting used to, but it's really not that weird. It's just basketball, really,"

"But...why? You don't throw around an actual casket, do you?"

Deuce couldn't help but laugh. "Ha! No, we'd never do that," he then gave Heath a look. "But there is _someone_ who tried that,"

"Can you shut up about that!?" Heath blurted out, embarrassed. "That was like a month ago!" As his friends just laughed at him, Heath rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Say, what kind of sports do you have over there?"

Dexter stood up and pulled out a strange device that almost looked like a phone, and he opened up some app. "I have a list you can look at, hang on,"

The device grabbed Jackson's attention right away. "What is that? Is that a phone?"

"This?" Dexter tilted the screen towards Jackson to show him. "This is a MirrorPad. Do you have anything like this?"

Jackson stared at it, perplexed but intrigued. "You mean...you have advanced technology? But aren't your people perpetually stuck in the Middle Ages?"

All the Ever After High boys in their circle suddenly stopped, and they stared at Jackson as if he were talking nonsense. "Uh..." Hunter raised a brow. "No? Did you think we were?"

"Well..." Jackson swallowed nervously, anxious to have everyone staring at him. "I mean, a lot of you are dressed like that, and a lot of those stories..." he trailed off, seeing something in the distance. "Who is that?" There was a girl setting up a DJ table several feet away.

Dexter looked up. "Oh, that's Melody Piper. She's our DJ, and it looks like she's about to play something,"

Jackson stared at her open-mouthed for a few seconds, before he rolled up his sleeve to look at his bare wrist. "Look at my wrist. I have to go!" with that, he turned around and bolted to the school parking lot.

"Wait, what? Hey, come back!" Dexter tried to stop him, but when he realized this attempt was futile, he turned back to the others. "What's gotten into him?"

Deuce just shook his head. "Uh...we'll explain everything later. Hey, there's some great frisbees left in our gym. Wanna toss them around?"

Inside the Monster High library, the girls were trying to figure out how this happened.

"There's no indication that this has ever happened before in history," Frankie explained aloud as she browsed through a library computer. "Did any of you find anything in the books?"

When the answer returned as a unanimous 'no', Raven Queen suggested, "Well, maybe there's something in our library, or we're just not looking in the right places,"

"Oh, there _has_ to be something!" Briar Beauty reached for an incredibly thick book titled 'History of The World'. "There's got to be something here. With so many pages, you would think-" she let out a yelp when she saw a face staring at her from the spot where she'd pulled out the book, and she fell over in shock. "Ah! Madeline, stop scaring us like that!"

Madeline leaped down from the bookshelf and retrieved a small package from her dress pocket. "I was crawling around in the ceiling tiles, and I found this pack of gourmet bubble gum! It's cherry pie flavored!"

Her friends just shook their heads, as they were used to this behavior, but Draculaura remembered her. "Hey!" she greeted, getting Madeline's attention. "Earlier, when we were outside, you said something about a 'Great Storm'. What was that?"

"Oh, The Great Storm?" Madeline unwrapped a stick of the gum and popped it into her mouth. "My Dad told me all about that. He said that our ancestors used to live in an entirely different reality, but then a storm, just like the one we just had, came in and took our ancestors away. And then there was this prophecy that it would come back and return our world to this one, and it came true!" Her bubbly attitude suddenly vanished and she turned to the ceiling and screamed, " _SHUT UP! DON'T MAKE ME COME UP THERE!"_ there was a pause, and she turned back to the other girls. "Sorry about that. Anywhoo, we can ask my Dad all about it when he returns from the mountains. He had to make some hats for the mountain-goat people. They have big heads, you know!"

Frankie tried to piece this all together. "But, do you know where it came from, and why? Did anything cause it the first time?"

Madeline shrugged, blowing a bubble with the gum and watching it pop. "Dunno. My dad never said,"

Cupid had been listening from another section in the library, and after she heard this, she walked towards the others. "No matter what happened," she began, gaining the attention from the others. "At least were together now. Right?"


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5:

It was getting close to the evening, and the students still hadn't left. The sun was setting.

Cerise and the other wolves stopped their playing to lie on the grassy floor of the forest, and they watched the birds fighting in the trees. Everything was still until Howleen's voice broke the silence.

"Where's your pack, Cerise?" Howleen asked, her voice a bit too loud for the others' liking.

Startled, Cerise picked up her head. "Oh! Uh...I don't have one,"

The others wolves looked bewildered by this. "What!?" Romulus sounded shocked. "But all wolves have packs!"

"I don't," Cerise rolled onto her stomach, picking at a blade of grass tentatively. "Unless a family counts as a pack, and I don't even spend that much time with them," she paused and looked up at the others she'd only known for a short time. She took a breath. "Can you keep a secret?"

"Of course!" Clawdeen reassured. "What is it?"

Cerise rocked back and forth for a few seconds, and she began softly, "You see, I'm not...supposed to exist. A lot of the other students at my school don't know this about me, but..." she took the locket that was hanging around her neck and opened it up, revealing a family photo. "I'm what happens when Red Riding Hood marries the Wolf,"

There was a pause, and then Clawdeen inquired, "Why doesn't anyone at your school know? Shouldn't you tell them?"

"Because I was a mistake!" Cerise blurted out, covering her face. "The rules of Destiny make it impossible for me to be real, but here I am. The other students think I'm the next Red Riding Hood, but I'm really not. I'm not a wolf, I'm not a human, I don't know what I am. There's no place in Destiny for someone like me, and the other kids would never understand-"

Romulus shushed her. "Wait, wait, slow down. Destiny? The next 'Red Riding Hood'? What are you on about?"

Cerise took a deep breath and tried to explain again. "I don't have a pack because I have to keep my heritage a secret. I have to keep it a secret because according to Destiny, the force that controls everything where I'm from, I'm not supposed to be real in the first place,"

"Well, that's stupid!" Howleen piped up. "Who cares about 'Destiny' anyway?"

"You don't understand!" Cerise buried her face in her hands once more. " _Everyone_ does! Destiny this, Destiny that, ' _Oh, Cerise! You can't help the boys lift those boxes because Red Riding Hood's daughter is pretty and demure, unlike you!' 'Cerise, eat your roast beef with a fork!' 'Cerise-_ "

Clawdeen finally had to stop her. "Don't get yourself all riled! Look- our worlds are together, now. You have us, now, and we'll take care of you,"

Cerise looked up, and there was a sort of pitiful look in her eyes. "Really?"

"Of course! You probably don't know this, since you've never had a pack before, but we're a very closely knit bunch. You don't have to worry,"

After a few seconds of silence, Cerise spoke up again. "Can I ask you something?"

"What?"

"Well," Cerise sat up, looking at the sky. It was turning a shade of pink. "Isn't it kind of...quick? I mean, you guys just met me, and you immediately accepted me, no questions asked! My dad always said that no wolf pack would ever accept him, so why did you accept me?"

The Wolves exchanged glances, looking for a definite answer. "Well," concluded Romulus after a moment. "Maybe you share blood with one of us? Like, maybe you're related to a wolf here, but you don't know it yet,"

"Oh, please," snorted Brocko, another wolf who had been quiet for the past few minutes. "Wolves are connected anyway- you know, through the Alpha Queen?"

When Cerise looked to Clawdeen for an explanation, Clawdeen just shook her head. "Ignore him, he still believes in that stuff," she explained quietly, just before standing up. "Hey, everyone, you wanna go get some pork rinds? They're only a dollar at the convenience store,"

The wolves made sounds of agreement and made their moves to leave. Cerise tried to follow them, but a hand grabbed her and yanked her into a bush. "Not you!" a stranger hissed in her ear.

"Hey- what the heck!?" Cerise struggled away from the grip and turned to face the stranger, only to flatten her ears against her head in alarm. "Ramona?"

Ramona, Cerise's sister, didn't look too pleased. "And what are you doing?" she asked, her arms crossed and her lips pursed together. "Chilling with a bunch of random wolves like it's no biggie? Headmaster Grimm's gonna skin you when he finds out-"

"He won't find out!" Cerise assured quickly. "I'll tell him...I'll tell him I was collecting stamps!"

"You don't collect stamps," Ramona rolled her eyes. "You're lucky it was me who found you and not someone else, Cerise. But, I just might tell mom and dad when I see them,"

Cerise looked back out into the woods, and she sighed when she saw that the other wolves had left. "Fine!" she turned back to Ramona. "Tell them! What are they gonna do?"

Ramona didn't say anything for a few seconds. "You're crazy," she answered finally.

"I know," answered Cerise, turning around and heading back to Ever After High.

Farther away, at the Monster High library, Cupid could not contain her excitement as she discussed future plans regarding fun things they could do.

"There's a movie playing at the Mall's theater Friday afternoon! It's called, 'War For Glory', and it looks really good! We can invite some of the boys, too,"

Frankie nodded in agreement. "I like that idea! I haven't met a lot of the boys from the other school. You'll get to meet Cleo, too!"

"Cleo?" Raven looked interested. "Who's that?"

"Oh, she's our friend," Draculaura explained. "She wasn't here today- her father took her out to buy a new jet!"

At that mention of the jet, Lagoona suddenly pulled out her phone. "By the way, did you see the pictures she posted of the jet? It has a hot tub!"

She showed the other girls the pictures, and they all marveled at the wonder. "Wow!" gasped Ashlynn Ella. "That looks amazing! She must be a princess!"

"Waste of money," muttered Abbey, though the others didn't seem to hear her.

Frankie couldn't help but laugh. "Oh, she most certainly is! I'm sure you girls will like her,"

Just then, a chorus of screams from farther away split the air, and a voice that was quickly recognized as Hunter Huntsman's screamed, " _YOU'D BETTER STOP! NO! NOOO!"_

A golf cart that was reserved for staff members at Monster High came crashing into the janitor's shed and promptly burst into flames, and two boys came tumbling out.

"Told you I could do it," grinned Holt Hyde as he and Heath emerged from the wreckage.

Heath shook himself, his eyes wild with shock. "I am _not_ paying for it this time!"

The door to Monster High opened, and Headmistress Bloodgood stepped out, looking very upset.

"What are you still doing here?" she demanded to know. "Go home already! You all have classes tomorrow!"

As Bloodgood slammed the door shut, Cupid turned to her friends. "Well, I guess that's our cue. What do you think about getting together on Friday?"

"I'll see what we can do!" Apple assured, glancing down at her watch. She grimaced. "Would you look at the time! It's almost time for our supper! We'll see you tomorrow, everyone!"

Everybody said their goodbyes and went their separate ways until Cupid was left alone in the courtyard. She looked up at the sky, smoothed out her skirt with a giddy grin, and headed home.

* * *

 **Hello, everyone! Thank you, once again, for continuing to read this story. I'm glad you've all been enjoying it, and I hope you stick around to keep reading.**

 **So, as always, if you have any questions, comments or theories, be sure to let me know in a review! If you have a question and I am able to reply to you, I will get back to you as soon as I can. Thanks again!**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6:

On Tuesday morning, the outside world finally realized that the world of Ever After was now merged with theirs.

The news of whole kingdoms that had not previously been there and thousands of mysterious houses suddenly appearing officially hit the press at 4 am that morning, though it may have been the herd of unicorns stampeding through the streets that tipped everyone off.

As a result, hundreds upon hundreds of 'visitors' (mostly normies) clamored to get into the gates of Ever After, anxious to scavenge this new territory. With all the new people, the flashing cameras and reporters and police officers standing around gawking at everything, the students of Ever After High just assumed that Headmaster Grimm canceled classes because of all the confusion, and that was understandable.

Yet, even though there were no classes for the day, many members of the school's staff highly advised the students not to try and mingle with the Monster High students again. Why? No specific reason, they'd just forbade it for the time being.

Nevertheless, King Charming still had to come in to arrange lesson plans for his Heroics 101 class, and he kept his three children nearby at all times. That afternoon, they ate lunch together in the empty classroom.

"I don't understand those monster women," lamented Daring, picking at a salt potato with his fork. "I attempted to charm a few good looking ones, and they just stared at me like I was speaking nonsense! Maybe I did it incorrectly?"

Charming waved him off. "Oh, certainly not, son! I swear those creatures are brain damaged, especially those females. They aren't worth it, trust me," he rooted through some pages in a textbook. "Hm. Perhaps I should wait until next week to do this lesson. I'm not entirely sure you can handle battle-training, Dexter,"

"I'm sure I could," Dexter muttered, though he knew his father was right. After tapping his fork tentatively on the table, Dexter looked up at his father. "Hey, um...I have a question,"

Charming didn't look up. "What?"

Dexter sat up a little straighter, taking a breath. "Well, see, I was thinking...what if we had, like, an open house here? You know, for the monster students. They could come here and look around, and we could..." he trailed off when he saw the look his father was giving him. "Do you not like that idea?"

"I certainly don't!" Charming shuddered at the very thought. "Those monsters are brutes! I wouldn't want them in here, tearing up my office! Perhaps you can show them the courtyard, but no more,"

Darling, his only daughter, tried to argue with him. "They aren't brutes! I met these cat twins, and they were the sweetest things! I'm sure they wouldn't cause trouble,"

Her father only rolled his eyes at the remark. "I'm sure. Maybe when _you're_ around, Darling. Who knows what they're like behind closed doors,"

Just then, Darling's Mirror-pad lit up, and she rose from her chair with it clutched in her hands. "May I go answer this?"

"Of course," Charming answered, flipping through his book once again.

Now in the hallway outside her father's office, Darling opened the message, seeing it was Raven. "Oh, hello, Raven,"

"Hey, there, Darling!" greeted Raven, sounding hopeful. "Did your father agree to the Open House idea?"

"No," sighed Darling, irritated. "He's being stubborn, as usual. He doesn't want to hang around 'brutes',"

"Oh," Raven was quiet for a few seconds. "So," she began finally. "I...guess that means you can't go to the monster city with us?"

Darling shook her head. "No, I will go with you, don't worry. He's not going to influence me,"

Raven just laughed. "I had a feeling he wouldn't. I have to go, now. Thanks for talking!"

In a women's restroom at The Tavern, Raven ended the call and laid down her Mirror-pad on the edge of the sink. She pulled out her dark purple lipstick and re-applied some much-needed color, careful not to get it on her teeth. As she was just taking a moment to admire the dark color contrasting with her pale skin, a stout elf woman entered. When the elf saw Raven, she wrinkled her nose in contempt and entered a stall, slamming the door behind her. Raven just sighed- being the Evil Queen's daughter, this wasn't exactly something she wasn't used to.

As she headed back to her table, a smile spread across her face as she noticed there was food sitting there when there previously hadn't been. "I was right!" she exclaimed, reclaiming the seat across from her father. "Changing my location for a few minutes really did help the wait go by faster!"

Her father shook his head and chuckled at her. "Oh, Raven. You're always so clever," as he picked up his fork, he looked back up at her and smiled warmly. "I'm so glad I got to see you today, my dear. It's been lonely without you,"

Raven took a moment to look at her father's face. He was aging, that was a fact. He'd had her quite late in his life, and yet to Raven, it seemed like he hadn't aged a day since her childhood.

"Well," she twirled some pasta on her fork, looking out the window. "If it hadn't been for that storm, we probably wouldn't have gotten to eat here today,"

"Yes," the king's voice sounded a bit far away. "That storm...speaking of which, a group of men with strange looking contraptions were flashing lights at the castle this morning. They scared your poor nanny half to death,"

Raven gasped. "Oh, no! Is she okay!?"

The king waved her off. "Certainly! She's sturdy for her age. I had to threaten them to get them to leave, and you know how much I hate doing that," he sounded sad, and Raven couldn't help but sigh a bit. He was always so gentle.

"So, Dad," she began after taking a sip of her juice. "What would you think if I helped organize an Open House for the Monster High students at our school? Do you think that's a good idea?"

"Of course!" the king's tone brightened considerably. "I haven't met any of those other students yet, but they sound quite unique, judging by what you've told me," he paused for a moment and looked out the window, and then turned back to his daughter. "Just promise me you'll stay out of trouble,"

Raven raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"I just want to make sure you stay away from suspicious characters is all,"

"I will, I will," Raven assured, laughing and shaking her head. "You don't have to worry, Dad,"

He leaned his head into his hand and gazed at her for a few moments. "You've grown up so much," he said finally, and he looked at his watch. "We should get eating. I have a council meeting in thirty minutes,"

The next morning, at Monster High, the Mad Science class was launching bottle rockets in their courtyard. Frankie sat in the grass a few feet away with her own rocket, waiting for her turn, when she heard a 'psst' sound.

She looked up in confusion, and she gasped when she saw Maddie standing over by some trees. "Hey!" Frankie stood up, glancing quickly behind her shoulder before approaching. "It's you! Do you need something?"

"Apple told me to give this to you," Maddie explained, handing over a little slip of paper with writing on it. "It's some notes she came up with for that Open House idea!"

Frankie looked it over curiously, and then back up at Maddie. "Did your Headmaster agree to the idea?"

Maddie shrugged. "I tried to tell him about it, but he didn't seem to want to talk to me! His brother liked the idea, but I don't think he can convince the Headmaster," she rocked back and forth on her heels for a moment before asking, "Did you talk to your Headmistress yet?"

"Oh, no, not yet," Frankie admitted. "I can visit wth her during lunch, though," she paused for a moment, and then inquired, "Did your dad get back from his trip?"

"No," Maddie answered. "But I talked to him last night, and he said he'll be back in a few days. He also said that he'd love to talk to all of you!"

"That's great!" Frankie chirped, excited. "Maybe he can-"

Before she could finish, Mr. Hack stalked over to her and snapped, "Ms. Stein, I've been calling you for the past five minutes to launch your rocket! Stop mucking around and get on with it!"

Frankie jumped, scampering over to where her rocket lay in the grass. "Oh, I'm so sorry Mr. Hack! I'll get on that right away!"

As Frankie ran over to where the other students were, Mr. Hack turned his attention to Maddie. "And you! Get back to your own school! Don't you have a class!?"

Maddie shrugged. "I do, but it was boring, so I left,"

"Whatever!" growled Mr. Hack. "Just stop distracting my students, you little creep!"

When he called her that, she let out a horrified gasp. "'Creep'!? How dare you!?" angrily, Maddie turned around to head back to Ever After High. "Go back to launching your stupid rockets, you old bag of rats!"


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7:

"Absolutely not," Headmistress Bloodgood said flatly.

"But why!?" Frankie tried to keep her composure, but it was difficult. "Why can't we go over there?"

Bloodgood stood up and went to her filing cabinet. "Because I said no and I meant no. If you want to go there on your own, you can, but I refuse to sign permission slips for anybody. Now, go back to lunch, Ms. Stein,"

Frankie sighed sadly and started to turn around, but she stopped in her tracks and looked back at Bloodgood. "Ms. Bloodgood, what did Headmaster Grimm say to you?"

"None of your concern," Bloodgood said thickly, still not looking at her. "Please leave my office,"

After school, Frankie told Cupid about the interaction. Concerned, Cupid spoke to both Raven and Giles Grimm, the co-headmaster at the school and Headmaster Grimm's brother. It was in the evening, and they were in hs office.

"I don't know how we can convince her," Cupid rested her chin in her hands, staring at the ceiling. "I mean, a lot of the students got to know each other already, but I feel like an open house would be a better opportunity, don't you?"

Raven nodded. "Of course I do. I'm just wondering why Headmistress Bloodgood holds so much amnesty against Headmaster Grimm," she looked over at Giles, who was sitting at his desk with his back to the girls. "Do you know why she slapped your brother?"

Giles had been quiet for most of the conversation, but when Raven asked him this, he turned around and answered, "To be perfectly honest, Raven, I believe I know why. It is because of a misunderstanding that happened years ago that Milton and I need to clear up now that our worlds are connected,"

Cupid raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Wait a minute...you mean- you know Headmistress Bloodgood?"

He simply chuckled, staring off into his memories with an old fondness. "Oh, I most certainly do. She was no headmistress when I knew her, though, and we called her Nora. She was eighteen when I met her, and she was clever with a quip. She was always thinking," he blinked, wrote something down on his notepad and mused aloud, "Perhaps I should pay her a visit tomorrow,"

"Really?" Cupid gasped, excited. "Would you be willing to go with me tomorrow?"

"Of course," Giles opened up his desk and pulled out a little silver button, holding it up to the light and watching it glitter. "Hopefully, she will remember me,"

On Thursday morning, just as promised, Cupid walked up to the door of Monster High to see Giles Grimm standing there, waiting for her.

"Would you lead me to Nora's office, miss?" he requested politely, extending an arm.

Cupid grinned and took his arm, pulling him through the open door. "Right this way!"

Bloodgood was writing down notes for lesson plans when there was a knock at her door. She looked up, calling, "Enter,"

The door opened, and Cupid stepped in. "Miss Bloodgood, I have something important to share with you-"

"Cupid," Bloodgood sighed heavily. "This had better not be about that open house because I already told Frankie no,"

Just then, the door opened even wider, and a male voice said, "Why, Nora, I thought you were more welcoming to ideas than that,"

Bloodgood's eyes widened, and she lifted her head up. "...Giles? Is that really you?"

Giles took a few steps forward and reached into hs coat pocket, pulling out the silver button and holding it where Bloodgood could see it. "It really is me, Nora," he said in a wistful, tender tone that Cupid had never heard him use before. "You don't know how much I think about you,"

There was a long pause, and Bloodgood stood up slowly from her desk. "Miss Cupid," she began, her voice shaking. "You are dismissed,"

Obeying, Cupid turned around and walked out, slowly closing the door. Before she closed it completely, she took a moment to watch what was happening through the crack in the door. Bloodgood nearly leaped out from behind her desk and threw her arms around Giles, burying her face into his neck and sobbing as he stroked her shoulder. A strange, excited feeling welled up in Cupid's chest, and she shut the door as quietly as she could.

Bloodgood didn't leave her office for the next two hours. At one point, loud orchestra music was blaring from the other side of the door for about thirty minutes, but then it stopped and things just went virtually silent for the rest of the time. When they finally left the office, they took a walk around the campus together, and the students watched from their different classrooms.

"That's so cute!" cooed Draculaura as she watched from the study hall window. "They're holding hands, look!"

Heath, who was sitting a few tables away, lifted his head up to see where Draculaura was looking. "Who?" he saw Giles and made a face. "Ew, he's old,"

"Heath!" scolded Deuce, crossing his arms.

Heath just shrugged. "What?"

"You just can't say stuff like that!"

"Well, he is!" Heath tried to justify his remark. "And I think there's some food stuck in his beard,"

Abbey, who was sitting beside Heath, reached over and picked something off of the collar of his shirt. "Look who's talking, Fire Boy. And what you call this?"

Defensively, Heath snatched the crumb back. "Abbey, that's part of my Pop-Tart! I'm saving it for later,"

Excited, Frankie turned back to her friends, who were gathered by the study hall window. "Do you know what this means?" she whispered, unable to contain herself. "We might get the Open House after all!"

Sure enough, that very afternoon, Bloodgood held a surprise assembly in the auditorium. As she walked up to the microphone, she seemed unusually giddy and couldn't stop smiling. The students knew that something was up.

"Children," she began, gripping the sides of the podium with her hands. "I am happy to announce that there will not be one- but _two_ open houses next week!"

Gasps made their way through the crowd of students, and Clawdeen exclaimed, "Wow! That was pretty unexpected,"

When the students quieted, Bloodgood explained. "Next Friday, when school lets out, any student that wants to will head over to Ever After High for a tour, and then we'll have dinner with them. At eight o'clock, we will return to Monster High, and the students from the other school will come with us to spend the night. Saturday morning, we'll give them a tour, and then after lunch, we will all return home," she reached under her podium and pulled out a stack of papers. "I've got permission slips here, for your parents or guardians to sign, and you must return them to the office on Thursday. Remember, this is not mandatory, and any student who wants to may attend!"

As the assembly ended, Cupid trotted right up and picked up a permission slip, hardly able to contain her glee. This was a dream come true! Her two schools, both with all her friends, were going to have a proper meeting. Hopefully, the other Grimm brother wouldn't try and spoil the fun...

Cupid suddenly noticed Valentine making his way out of the auditorium, and she ran to meet him. "Hey, Kieran!" she chirped, catching up with him. "Are you going to the Open House?"

Valentine shook his head. "Um, no. I don't think I will,"

"Why not?" Cupid asked, a bit disappointed. After all, this whole thing happened because she was trying to protect him. "It'll be fun! Have you met anyone from Ever After High, yet?"

"No," he answered simply. "I left shortly after that Great Storm hit. I had to, I have a cousin who's very sick right now and staying with us,"

When Cupid heard this, she suddenly felt very badly about badgering him over going to the Open House. "I'm so sorry to hear that!" she went quiet for a few seconds but then had an idea. "Can you at least come to the mall with us tomorrow? I'm going with the ghouls and some of my Ever After High friends. I don't know exactly who's going, but I'm sure they'd be happy to have you come along,"

Valentine suddenly stopped in his tracks, and he looked up at Cupid and glared at her. "I don't like being tricked," he said after a moment, clearly very upset.

"Oh, Kieran, no!" Cupid quickly tried to explain her intentions. "It's so sad seeing you by yourself these days. I'm just trying to help you make friends,"

"Your friends don't like me,"

Cupid took a breath. He was correct about this. "I-I'm sure they would if they just got to know you! Just please-"

"I said _NO!_ " Valentine blurted out, gaining attention from the other nearby students. Clawd and his friends were standing few feet away when this happened, and Valentine quickly noticed them pointing and whispering in his direction. The vampire pressed his eyes shut and shook his head. "I have to go," he choked out, turning around and leaving.

"Valentine-!" when she realized there was no convincing him, she sighed and slumped up against the wall. "Oh, well..."

* * *

 **I'm really glad I could quickly update this! My classes ended a few days ago, so now I get to spend my time writing. I hope you liked this chapter!**

 **So, some notes: if you're from the Ever After High fandom and you're wondering why I kept referring to Co-Headmaster Grimm as Giles and not 'Headmaster Grimm' or just 'Grimm', it's because I kept confusing Milton and Giles Grimm when I was new to the show, so now I don't want to confuse anyone who's from the Monster High fandom and maybe wasn't all that familiar with the Grimm Brothers. Also, I got a review telling me that there was a certain someone who was out of character and my response to that is- yes, I am aware that I was incorrect. Please keep in mind that this is my first time writing for Ever After High, so there will be a few hiccups here and there. As I may or may not have said before, I enjoy getting criticism, but please just keep my unfamiliarity in mind while reviewing.**

 **Thank you for reading!**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8:

It was Friday, at 2 AM.

The black SUV pulled up to the flashing lights of a bar deep within the city, and its occupant stepped out. He pushed the bar's door open, entering and looking around.

The bar was quiet for an early Friday morning, with a few occupied tables scattered ere and there, but Van Hellscream focused his attention on four figures decked in black leather towards the back. Though they were a bit far away, he could see the letters that were stitched to their jackets: _MHU._

 _"_ Excuse me," Van Hellscream began, getting the strangers' attention. "You wouldn't happen to be, oh, I don't know- the 'Monster Hunters United' gang, would you, my friends?"

The four men looked him over before recognizing him. "You're Van Hellscream, aren't you?" asked a man with long hair and lots of piercings, and who then proceeded to burst into laughter. "Ha! Did you have a good time being 'stoned' my dude? Ha, ha!"

Van Hellscream just narrowed his eyes in annoyance as he reached into his coat pocket. "It is best that you stop laughing so you can hear what I have to say, gentlemen,"

He pulled out a slip of paper and slid it over to the men, who all looked at it in confusion. "What is it?" asked one man with a mohawk, jabbing a finger towards the paper. "Some kinda...school assignment?"

"It's much more than that," Van Hellscream began to explain, taking the paper back. "As you may or may not be aware, a new world full of existing fairytale characters has suddenly become merged with our own world. Now, Headmistress Bloodgood of Monster High has wished to create relations between her own school and the fairy tale school, known as Ever After High,"

A man with a shaved head and a nose piercing simply shrugged. "Well, what's that got to do with us? They're just a bunch of kids,"

"Oh, but see here," Van Hellscream leaned in, grinning. "Once you hear what I have to tell you, you _will_ be on my side _,"_

Less than twelve hours later, Cupid sat in the Monster High library and waited anxiously for the dismissal bell to ring. She'd already paid for some bus passes so her friends wouldn't have to walk into the city with her, but she still was unsure of exactly how many friends were coming.

Frankie, Draculaura, and Lagoona were for sure coming, but Clawdeen and Clawd had a family reunion to go to and could not attend. Cleo was probably going to come, and chances are she would bring Deuce along, but Ghoulia had a math meet after school. Abbey hadn't been clear about whether she was coming or not, but Cupid liked to think that she would be there.

As for her Cupid's Ever After High friends, she knew for certain that Apple and Raven would be there. Maddie had promised to be there, as she'd said that her father was possibly going to be returning that very evening and that he would call her when he did. Briar and Ashlynn had both expressed interest in going, but neither had made any concrete arrangements.

The bell finally rang, and Cupid almost shot up from her seat and ran to the door, her heart pounding. As she entered the hallway, she was approached by Frankie.

"Where did you say you wanted everyone to meet?" asked Frankie, readjusting her backpack straps.

"The parking lot," explained Cupid, hardly able to contain herself. "We have to be at our bus stop no later than 3:00,"

Frankie grinned cheerfully. "Great! I just have to drop off some papers to Mr. Hack real quick, but I'll be there soon!"

Cupid pushed open the doors and skipped out to the parking lot, only to stop and take a quick, surprised breath. More of her acquaintances were standing there than she'd previously expected.

Just as promised, Apple, Raven, and Maddie were all waiting there, and Briar and Ashlynn had also decided to come. However, that wasn't all: standing with them were Dexter, Darling, Alistair and Hunter, none of whom Cupid expected to arrive. Draculaura and Lagoona were engaging in a bit of small talk with the girls, while Cleo stood by them and checked something on her iCoffin. Nearby, Abbey was reprimanding Heath for something while Deuce stood by and listening with amusement. Cupid did a mental head count of everyone standing there at that current moment, and she took a breath and walked towards them.

"Why hello everyone!" she began in a chipper tone, getting their attention. "I hope you're all doing well this afternoon. Is...is this everyone? I-I mean, I know Frankie had to meet with a teacher really quick but is everyone who wanted to come here?"

"As far as I know, yes!" Apple beamed excitedly, tapping her heels on the pavement. "I do realize that there are a lot of us here today, but the more the merrier!" she turned to look at Cleo and grinned. "Right?"

Cleo looked up from her iCoffin screen, her face expressionless. "Indeed."

Frankie arrived shortly after, and by that time it was 2:45- fifteen minutes before the bus would arrive. The Monster High students knew the way, so they led the others to the stop.

"Wow," Alistair gushed excitedly, looking around in amazement. "I've never been on a bus before! What's it like?"

Deuce had to laugh. "Don't get your hopes up too high, dude. It's really not that great of a thing, but it's the easiest way to get around,"

"You sure about that?" asked Heath, sounding skeptical. "The bus is where secret surprise snacks are hidden! Like butterscotch candies and malt shakes from God knows when,"

"For Ra's sake, Heath!" Cleo rolled her eyes, exasperated. "I hope you're kidding,"

Heath just smiled and crossed his arms. "The hair's extra protein,"

When he said that, Hunter suddenly turned away from them. "You're disgusting, and please don't ever say that again," he deadpanned, pointing a finger in Heath's direction.

They arrived at the stop around 2:55, and the bus arrived just minutes later. As everyone boarded, Cupid handed over the bus passes as well as some extra money.

"I hope this can cover all of them," Cupid told the bus driver. "I didn't anticipate how many of my friends would be coming. I'm so sorry!"

The bus driver, a small troll man, just eyed the group suspiciously. "What, you traveling in packs so you won't get mugged?"

Before Cupid could answer, Ashlynn grimaced slightly. "'Mugged'?"

"Oh, don't you worry, Ashlynn!" Cupid tried to assure before turning her attention back to the driver. "We're just on a trip to the mall, sir. Nothing too crazy!"

The driver made a sort of grunting sound. "I didn't ask for your life's story, kid. Sit down so I can drive,"

Other than a strange man shrouded in a trenchcoat and an old goat woman yammering on the phone towards the back, the bus was practically deserted, which made the trip easier. When the bus started up, everything was awkwardly silent, so Frankie decided she would try and start up some conversation.

"Hey, um," she got the attention of Apple, who was sitting beside her. "This is Cleo," she motioned to the Egyptian girl, who just looked up in alarm. "She's the one who owns that jet I was showing you the other day?"

Apple thought for a moment, and then perked right up. "Oh, of course! Your friend showed me those pictures. It looked quite marvelous,"

Cleo smiled proudly, holding her head up. "Why, thank you! It wasn't exactly the model I was hoping for, but it will have to do. I'm glad you enjoyed it,"

"Oh, that reminds me," Deuce piped up, tapping his girlfriend. "When will it be ready to fly? Do you know?"

"Not yet," Cleo shrugged, pulling out her iCoffin. "My father says he's going to call the inspector before we can do anything with it,"

Just then, the other girls were alerted by the sound of singing nearby:

 _"Fie, then why we sit musing_

 _Youth's sweet delight refusing? Fa la._

 _Say, dainty nymphs, and speak,_

 _Shall we play at barley-break? Fa la,"_

Raven recognized the voice as Maddie's, and she looked up and raised an eyebrow. "Maddie, what are you doing?"

Maddie swung around on one of the bus's poles, and she held a half-eaten scone in her free hand. "Enjoying the ride!" she answered in a chipper tone. "This thing's fun. How many do you think there are in the city?"

"Too many to count, I would imagine," mused Lagoona, re-applying some mascara as she looked in her pocket mirror. She looked up and smiled pleasantly at Maddie. "But, just you wait- the fun's only beginning,"

The bus stopped at a stop outside the shopping district, and the passengers stepped off one by one.

"Goodbye, kind sir!" Apple waved at the driver as she exited the vehicle. "Thank you so much for driving us here this afternoon,"

The driver looked a little confused. "Uh...you're welcome, I guess. Later, kid,"

Cupid took a mental note of the interaction, and she trotted ahead of the group. "Come on, everyone! Right this way,"

* * *

 **Hello, once again! Yes, that's it for this chapter. I'm sorry that this was a little uneventful for now, but next chapter will be a lot more interesting. I'm just cutting it off here because I'm kinda tired and I didn't want this to be too long.**

 **Thoughts so far? Any questions, comments, theories, or even ideas? Let me know in a review! I always check for those.**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9:

After entering the mall, the group came up with a plan for the afternoon: the boys would go to one end of the mall, and the girls would go to another. Then, in an hour, everyone would meet back up at the food court. Once everyone collected maps so they wouldn't get lost, they headed off.

The moment the boys were on their own, a technology shop immediately caught Dexter's eye, and he went right for it. The other boys followed after him since they were a little unsure of where else to go.

"What is with everything being shaped like a coffin?" asked Dexter, examining an iCoffin. "Is it a trend here or something?"

Deuce shrugged. "Um, kind of. It's a part of our culture, actually. Don't worry about it," he looked to the right, and he sighed at what Heath was doing. "Heath, come on, man. You're gonna get in trouble,"

Heath was changing the desktop backgrounds on every laptop to a picture of a coffee mug that said, ' _The Macarena was an inside job.'_ "I'm just messing around!" Heath piped up in defense. "I see other monsters do this in here all the time,"

"Whatever," Deuce shook his head, turning back to the others. "Say, where did the girls say they were going after this? Cleo wasn't sure if she wanted to go with them or not,"

"Oh, they're going to see Maddie's dad," Alistair spoke up. He'd been fairly quiet up until this point. "He's returning from his mountain trip, and he knows quite a bit about that storm that brought our worlds together,"

Upon hearing this, Hunter snorted. "I'm _sure_ he does. Opium makes you 'know' a lot of things,"

"Hunter!" snapped Alistair, looking incredibly offended.

"Alistair, come on," Hunter clapped right back without missing a beat. "You don't think that guy ever gets lifted? Sparrow said he smelled opium in the Tea Shoppe once,"

Dexter raised an eyebrow when Hunter said this. "Uh, how does Sparrow know what opium smells like?"

Before the gossip could get any worse, Deuce had to ask. "Who's her dad?'

"I thought it was obvious," Hunter began, glancing quickly behind his shoulder. "But her dad's the Mad Hatter,"

"Oh!" Deuce then remembered something his mother had told him once, years ago. "My mom told me a long time ago that she remembers something called 'Mad Hatter Syndrome', where the people who made hats would go insane because of mercury poisoning. Do you think-?"

Just then, Alistair turned around briskly and walked out the door, clearly very upset. There was a pause, and then Deuce turned back to the others.

"What's his deal?"

Dexter chewed on his lip, looking nervous. "I forgot- Hatter is basically like a dad to Alistair right now. Maybe we shouldn't have said anything,"

Deuce looked to where Alistair had gone, and he turned to leave. "Stay here, I'll be right back,"

Alistair was sitting on a bench right outside the store, staring at his feet and muttering bitterly to himself. Deuce felt the pangs of regret spread through his chest, and he took a seat beside the other boy.

"Hey, um..." Deuce began, getting Alistair's attention. "I'm really sorry for what I said back there,"

"You're fine, you're fine," assured Alistair with a sigh. "I just can't stand it when the others talk trash about Hatter like that. It's like...he's nothing but kind to everyone, and yet they all feel like they can slander him! It's really not fair,"

Deuce just nodded understandingly. "I hear you, man. Lots of other kids talk that way about my mom, and it's just like...my mom never did anything to them! It sucks,"

Neither of them spoke for a few minutes, and then Alistair asked, "Is your mom Medusa?"

"Yes, she is!" Deuce had to laugh. He gestured to his snakes. "I guess you could tell?"

Alistair grinned at him. "Yes, yes," he paused, and then continued, "Mine's Alice,"

"Alice..." Deuce thought for a moment, and then nearly gasped at the realization. "Oh! From 'Alice in Wonderland'?" when Alister nodded, Deuce couldn't stop himself laughing again. "That's crazy, man,"

"What's crazy?"

"Well..." Deuce straightened up, trying to think of how to explain this. "I mean, think about it: you've clearly heard of my mother, and I used to read 'Alice in Wonderland' all the time when I was a kid. And," he just shrugged. "Here we are,"

Alistair leaned his chin into his hand and thought for a moment, and then he laughed slightly as well. "That's certainly something to think about!" he looked back at Deuce, and he smiled fondly. "You know who would like you? Maddie,"

Deuce was a bit taken aback by this. "Maddie? You mean...Hatter's daughter? The one who's hanging out with the girls? But...isn't Maddie your girlfriend?"

"What?" Alistair looked almost shocked. "No! She's more like a sister to me than anything else. We used to hang out all the time when we were little since my mother and her father are best friends, and mom and I actually spent the night there once. This was years ago, now, but I still remember it," he shook his head quickly. "Anyway, I think you and her would get along great,"

While making friends with her seemed like a nice thought (watching her swing on the bus pole while eating a scone was amusing), Deuce knew that befriending Maddie would most likely get her on Cleo's bad side, as Cleo still had jealousy issues. Deuce had hoped that she would get past this, but he was unsure if this would ever occur.

A few seconds passed, and then Deuce shrugged. "Maybe, but..." he trailed off, seeing that Alistair was focused on something a few feet away with a concerned expression. "Everything okay?"

Alistair stood up suddenly. "It's Hunter's girlfriend! Something's wrong!"

Sure enough, Ashlynn was limping towards them, and she was a sight: the heel of her right shoe had completely broken off, her tears had ruined her mascara, and she was making the most pitiful sobbing sounds as she made her way through the mall. When she saw Alistair, she let out a loud cry and picked up her pace, nearly tripping and falling. Deuce ran over and caught her just in the nick of time, keeping her upright by the arms so he could get a better look at her.

"Hey, hey! What happened!?" Deuce asked, concerned. He hardly knew this girl, but he knew she was Hunter's girlfriend.

Ashlynn just wept miserably and refused to make eye contact with anyone, her whole body quivering. "Where's Hunter!?" she cried out after about a minute of hysterical sobbing.

Alistair took Ashlynn's arm and tried his best to lead her into the tech store. "Right this way!" he then proceeded to nearly drag Ashlynn into the store, prop her up against the display window, and then left her there to fetch Hunter. "Hunter! Hunter, come quickly!"

Hunter just about sprinted over to the scene, where he scooped up his girlfriend and examined her frantically. "What happened to you!? Are you all right!?"

When she just cried louder instead of answering, Hunter tucked his arm beneath the crook of her legs and carried her bridal style out of the store, gaining lots of attention from other shoppers.

He took her to a quiet lounge area near a department store, where he removed her shoes and laid them down on the floor. Sniffling, Ashlynn curled into a fetal position and whimpered softly as Hunter hovered over her and stroked her hair tenderly, kissing her cheek and whispering sweet things in her ear. She calmed down quite a bit after this, and he took her into his arms and just held her for the next few minutes.

"I'm so sorry, Apple!" Cupid apologized frantically as she and the other girls walked quickly out of the department store. "I forgot that the currency here is different!"

Apple just smiled with a smile that looked as if it were made out of rubber. "O-oh no, it's fine! I just...I just wish someone had told me earlier..."

"Just pawn it!" yawned Cleo, smoothing her hair out. "There's a pawn shop not far from here. I drop off ugly jewelry there al the time,"

"Good idea!" Frankie chimed in. "Maybe you can-"

Maddie suddenly cut her off. "Hey, what's wrong with Ashlynn?"

That was when Cupid noticed the couple sitting in the lounge area, and she walked right over to them. "Hey, is everything okay?"

Hunter looked up from where he was nuzzled in Ashlynn's hair, and he glared at Cupid. "You were supposed to be helping her around this place, and you left her alone!"

"Hunter..." murmured Ashlynn, lifting her head up.

"We're sorry," Draculaura apologized profusely. "But she went to go look at shoes, and the shoe store is right there!" she pointed to a little shoe shop that was only a few feet away. "We told her where to find us when she was done looking,"

This answer wasn't good enough for Hunter, and he just continued to glare. "And you didn't check on her at all!? You didn't send someone with her!? How could you be so stupid!?"

"Hunter, _please!_ " Ashlynn cried out finally, silencing her boyfriend. "It was my fault! I shouldn't have wandered off. Please, don't blame them,"

There was a long, awkward pause, and then Cupid cleared her throat. "Okay, well...how about we head to the Food Court now, and we'll all get some snacks and calm down? Would you mind telling us what happened there, Ashlynn?"

Ashlynn nodded, but she refused to put her feet on the floor. "I-I can't wear my shoes. The heel on the right one broke,"

When Hunter heard this, he stooped down and began to undo his laces. "Wait for a second, babe. I got you,"

"Oh, Hunter, you don't have to-" Ashlynn stopped when he handed her his boots. They were too big, but she slipped them on anyway. "Thanks,"


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10:

Everyone met up in the food court, where the other girls comforted Ashlynn some more and bought frozen yogurt. Now that Ashlynn had calmed down and was enjoying some strawberry frozen yogurt, she began her tale of woe.

"I was in the shoe store, just looking around. They were very odd looking shoes, different from the ones I'm used to, but I wanted to give it a chance. Anyway, while I was looking, this guy walked in,"

"What'd he look like?" asked Hunter, who was just quietly taking everything in.

Ashlynn thought hard, taking a bite of her frozen yogurt. "He...he had a nose ring and really long hair, and he was wearing a shiny black jacket. It was a leather jacket, I think, but I'm not sure. Well, he walked up to me, and he was smiling a really odd smile, and he said hi. I tried to ignore him, but he was asking me all these weird questions, like what school I went to and if I was new here. I felt really uncomfortable, but I didn't know what to say to him. And then..." she shuddered at the memory. "He held his hand up, like this," she demonstrated by lifting her hand up to about where her cheek was. "Just like this, like he was going to touch me,"

"Did he touch you?" Frankie inquired.

"No, I didn't stay to find out if he would or not," Ashlynn explained, stirring around her yogurt absent-mindedly. "I ran out of there. I don't know if he followed me, but I sure hope he didn't. But then I stepped in some gum without realizing it, and I tripped and my heel got broken!" she held up the damaged shoe in dismay. "And I _just_ bought these!"

Hunter put his arm around her and hugged her close, glaring out into the crowds of people gathered along the popular stores. "I wonder if that guy's still here. Maybe I can find him and..."

"I would advise you not to do that," Lagoona cut in quickly, worried. "He could have a weapon on him, like a pistol or a knife! I think you should just let it go,"

"I didn't realize that people like that would be a problem here," remarked Dexter, disappointed. "I guess I should have expected that," he then leaned over to Darling and asked in a hushed tone, "You won't tell Dad, will you?"

Darling just twirled some yogurt on her spoon without looking up. "We don't need to tell him anything. Daring would, but..."

Just then, Maddie's Mirror-Pad lit up, and she gasped happily. "Oh! Dad!" she stood up and grabbed both the Mirror-pad and her cup of yogurt. "I'll be right back!"

She trotted off to the bathroom and returned moments later with a giddy grin spread across her face. "Guess what?" she chirped as she sat back down. "My dad just got back, and he has lots to tell you all! When should we leave to go see him?"

Cupid tapped her chin in thought. "Well...I think someone should stay behind and help Ashlynn buy a new pair of shoes. She can't keep walking around in those boots, and Hunter can't walk around in socks. Would anyone be willing to stay with them?"

"I will," Lagoona volunteered, raising her hand. "I have to meet Gil here anyway since he's stopping by to pick up new water shoes. Come with me!" she stood up and beckoned Hunter and Ashlynn, and they followed her gratefully.

"Let me know what Hatter told you!" Ashlynn called out to the other girls as she walked away.

"We will, we will!" assured Apple, looking up at the clock on the wall. "It's five. Maddie, does your father plan on serving dinner to us?"

Maddie scraped the remaining bits of yogurt out of the cup and tossed the cup into a nearby trashcan. "I don't know! He might- he said he found a bunch of great recipes from the mountains, so we'll see!"

They re-boarded the bus ten minutes later. This time, there were a few more passengers, including an old alligator woman who wouldn't stop staring at Alistair and Dexter.

"Hey, Blondie!" the alligator croaked out finally, gesturing to Alistair. When Alistair turned around to look at her, she grinned at him with crooked teeth and remarked, "You're making me wish I was those jeans,"

Alistair just stared at her silently, and he turned to Heath and Deuce. "Was that a compliment?" he asked in a hushed tone.

When Heath put a hand over his mouth to stifle a laugh, Deuce elbowed him in annoyance before answering, "Ignore her, she's just crazy,"

As Raven stared out the window and watched the cars and buildings pass by, Dexter slid beside her and got her attention. "Hey, check this out," he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small pin with a picture of a purple cupcake and the words _'2Sweet!'_ written on it. "The woman at the tech shop was giving these out for free. This was the only thing I got there- I was too nervous to buy anything else,"

Raven had to laugh. "Oh, my! What are you gonna do with that?"

"W-well," Dexter rocked back and forth nervously. "I wanted you to have it, because...purple and all,"

There was a pause, and then Raven delicately took the pin. "Well, thank you, Dexter. It's a little too 'cute' for me, but I'm sure I can do something with it,"

Cupid tried not to watch the scene, and she distracted herself with her iCoffin.

The bus arrived at the stop, and once they were back at Monster High, Maddie led everyone through the woods and to the shoreline, where her house was.

"You live all the way out here?" Draculaura asked warily. "It's a pretty long walk,"

Maddie shrugged. "It's not so bad. Do you know what's _really_ a pain? Walking from the house to the market! I don't know how my dad manages to do that every day,"

Soon, the house came into view, and it was really something to see: it was perched off of the edge of a tall hill by several sets of stilts. It was the color of a robin's egg, with pink windows and shutters and bright yellow front steps. A winding dirt path stretched out from the front steps and down the hill, past the tall the tree with the worn swing hanging from it. The whole house loomed over the water's edge like a giant bird, preparing to strike something in the water.

As the group approached, Maddie suddenly ran ahead of everyone else. "Not to be rude," she assured in a loud tone as she sprinted up the dirt path. "But I need to make sure he's ready to see us!"

They followed after her, and that was when Heath noticed the empty glass bottles sitting on the front porch. "What's all this?" he asked, bending down to look at them. "Did he get lazy taking out the trash?"

"No, no!" explained Alistair, who recognized what this was. "This is part of an old Wonderlandian superstition. It keeps away evil and bad luck. My mom does this too, sometimes,"

When Cleo heard this, she nudged Deuce and whispered, "Have you heard the mercury theory?"

Deuce waved her off. "Yeah, yeah...you probably shouldn't mention that among these people,"

"Why, Deuce!" Cleo sounded shocked that he would even suggest such a thing. "I wouldn't say that in front of him,"

Frankie was the first to enter, and she walked in on Maddie performing some sort of greeting with her father.

"...and to the moon!" they concluded in unison, and Hatter noticed Frankie almost right away.

"Why, hello there, miss!" he greeted warmly, walking right up to her and shaking her hand. Surprisingly enough, he didn't seem at all phased by her appearance. "And what's your name?"

"Oh, m-my name's Frankie!" Frankie smiled back- she liked him already, but he smelled strongly of fruity cologne. "It's nice to meet you- oh!" her hand suddenly popped right off into his hand without warning. "I'm so sorry! Uh, here," she grabbed the hand back and began re-attaching it. "That happens sometimes, I'm sorry,"

Hatter just stared blankly at the hand without a word, and then he cleared his throat. "I'm just glad you're all right," he looked up at the others who'd entered, and he quickly closed the door and ushered them inside. "Come in, come in! Have a seat in the living room, I'll be right out to join you. I just have to start up the kettle,"

As Maddie showed everyone to the living room, Deuce looked back to see that Alistair had stayed behind. Alistair stopped Hatter from walking away and handed him an envelope.

"My mom wanted me to give this to you," Deuce heard Alistair explain quietly.

Hatter took the envelope and looked it over, before slipping it into his pocket and putting an arm around the boy. "Thank you,"

Deuce felt like he probably shouldn't be watching this, and he turned and walked into the living room.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11:

"So, you want to know about the Great Storm?" Hatter began as he cleared some papers away from the coffee table.

"Yes, Sir," answered Raven. "We wondering what you knew about it since Maddie said you know quite a bit,"

Hatter turned around and went to the bookshelf, rooting through it. "Well, there's a book right here that has information on it, which is where I first discovered the story. It's very interesting, though many in both Wonderland and Ever After deny that it ever happened in the first place!"

"Really?" asked Frankie, intrigued. "And why's that?"

The kettle shrieked from the kitchen, and Hatter turned his attention to the noise. "I'll explain everything once I've served you all some tea. Sit tight, now!"

When Hatter left the room, Heath looked up and realized that the girl who'd been sitting across from him was now lying face first on the floor, motionless. "Uh..." Heath grimaced. "Hey, I think your friend is dead,"

Apple looked away from the window, confused. "What do you mean-?," she then noticed the girl on the floor. "Oh, for Pete's sake! Briar, come on!" Apple knelt down beside Briar and shook her gently. "Briar," she began in the fakest, sweetest voice possible. "Briar, we've talked about this! The last time this happened, you hurt yourself," there was a long pause, and then Apple reached into her dress pocket, pulling out a little bottle of peppermint oil. She unscrewed the top, flipped Briar onto her back, and then proceeded to pour a copious amount of oil on Briar's forehead.

Briar gasped loudly and sat up quickly, looking around wildly. "Hello!?"

"You were sleeping," explained Apple curtly.

Briar was quiet, and then she reached up and wiped the oil from her forehead. "It's not like I can help that," she muttered bitterly.

Apple just patted her shoulder. "I was looking out for you. Ever since you feel asleep while walking down the stairs last week, I've just been trying to protect you,"

Hatter returned momentarily with a tray of steaming tea cups and passed them out among the guests. When a cup was placed in front of Heath, he pushed it away just a bit.

"I don't really like tea," Heath admitted.

Maddie spun around and gasped in horror, but Hatter raised a hand to silence her. "That's not necessary, Madeline. Come on, young sir, you'll like this tea. I got it in the mountains- it's ginger and pomegranate flavor," he pushed it back towards Heath. "Go on, give it a taste!"

Heath hesitantly reached out took the cup, taking a sip. He seemed to enjoy it, and once everyone was quiet, Hatter sat down in his big armchair and set his teacup on the bookshelf. He retrieved the book from earlier and flipped to a page.

"Many, many years ago," he began, sitting up straight. "These worlds were connected, and the people were divided up into groups based on what they could or could not do. There was a whole network of kingdoms that controlled everything, and one of the kingdoms was a tribe of wolves,"

"Wolves?" Draculaura perked up, looking surprised. "You mean...werewolves?"

Hatter just shrugged. "The book just says 'wolves', but they could be whatever you're referring to. Anyway, the leader of the wolves was the Alpha Queen, and she tried to keep the wolves away from the villagers because she hated the reputation the wolves had among humans,"

When he said this, Draculaura quickly texted Clawd. _"do you know anything about the alpha queen?"_

Hatter continued. "One day, a wolf named Isengrim destroyed everything that the Queen had worked so hard to achieve by terrorizing the village in a murderous rage. No matter what the villagers did, Isengrim never seemed to die. They shot at him all they wanted, but he'd always turn up alive the next day,"

"He was the first Big Bad Wolf, right, Dad?" Maddie chimed in.

"Right!" affirmed Hatter, turning the page. "And the Alpha Queen finally had enough of him. She told the human villagers not to worry, and that she would face Isengrim alone on the mountainside. They both went up to the mountains that morning to battle, but not long after that, the Great Storm hit. A whole village went with it, half of that wolf tribe disappeared, and Isengrim and the Queen haven't been seen since,"

Draculaura looked down at her phone to see that Clawd had responded. _"What brought this up? that's part of a really old religion almost no one follows anymore."_

 _"Well, that religion may have something to do with that storm!"_

"Does anyone know what happened during that altercation?" Darling inquired, interested.

Hatter shook his head. "This book doesn't say, but I have heard a few theories regarding this story. Many think that the Alpha Queen tried to banish Isegrim to a different realm, but the plan backfired. Others believe it was Isengrim who banished the Alpha Queen, but since no one was actually with them, we cannot say for certain,"

Deuce tapped the side of the teacup in thought. "Then...how do you know they even had anything to do with it? They could have just picked a bad day to fight,"

"That is a possibility," Hatter shrugged, setting the book down. "However, both wolves completely vanished after it happened, so perhaps that's why everyone pins the blame on them. Isengrim's own wife didn't even know where he went,"

"I have a question," Apple spoke up, looking a bit skeptical. "Why didn't any of the teachers ever teach this in our history classes?"

Maddie scoffed at her. "Well, duh! Headmaster Grimm got rid of every book about it, that's why! It's a big conspiracy..." she trailed off when she saw the look her father was giving her, and she rolled her eyes. "Oh...sorry. I forgot that we're not allowed to say anything bad about Milton Grimm, _even_ if it's true,"

"That's certainly not the case, Madeline," Hatter assured, though the look in his eyes gave away the fact that he felt the same way. "Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but we don't want to go spreading rumors about your Headmaster," he took a sip of tea and re-composed himself. "To answer your question, Ms. White, the Great Storm was thought of as some silly old legend, until now. There will probably be more discussion about it in your classes now that this has happened,"

There was a pause, and then there was another question: "Does anybody have any idea about where the wolves went?" it was Raven. "They have to be somewhere,"

Hatter thought about it. "Well...some believe that both of them are dead, now, which is a possibility, but I've also heard that Isengrim got trapped somewhere between our worlds and is cursed to wander forever. As for the Alpha Queen..." he trailed off, and he turned and looked out the window behind him. "There's a chance she roams Nowhere's Land, which is way out there," he pointed to an island that was across the water, far away and masked by heavy fog. "It's on that island, right behind Covet's Cove," he was referring to a large cave on the water.

"Can you take us there?" Frankie asked hopefully. "Maybe we can find her and-"

When she said this, Hatter quickly stood up and shut the curtains. "No, no!" he stated firmly, though he seemed nervous. "I can't do that! There's...there are monsters there,"

Heath looked almost offended by this. "But _we're_ monsters!"

"Wait..." Dexter lifted his head up, his eyes wide behind his thick-rimmed glasses. "If Isengrim was trapped between the two worlds, and now they're connected, then...he's free, now. Isn't he?"

"Please don't worry yourselves over this!" Hatter pleaded, looking upset. "Now, let's not discuss this anymore, and I will get some dinner started for you. The mountain goats gave me some soup and bread as a gift, and I will prepare it for all of you. Please do not stress over this. Maddie, would you boil some water, please?"

As Maddie trailed after her father, Cupid watched them go and hoped to the Heavens that no one would blame her if Isengrim attacked.

Briar fell asleep on her plate.

Elsewhere, three figures walked around the premises of Ever After High. Steel, an MHU agent, was receiving an outside tour of the school from two students known only as Helga and Gus (they'd refused to give him their last names).

"And if you stand right here," Helga explained, standing beside a back window. "You can see right into the gym! They'll be in there the most, I'm thinking,"

Steel rubbed his chin in thought. "And you're sure they won't see me filming them?"

"Why would they?" Gus shrugged. "Most students here haven't seen technology such as yours before. If they see you, however..."

"You'll be fine," Helga assured Steel quickly. She folded her hands pleasantly and rocked back and forth on her heels, batting her eyelashes innocently. "So...do you have our payment?"

Steel sighed and produced a small, fishnet bag filled with shiny gold coins. "How's this? Good?"

Gus snatched the bag and tore it open, showing the contents to Helga. When they exchanged gleeful glances with one another, Steel cleared his throat.

"Well, I'm off, I guess. Thanks for the help, kids," yet, when Helga and Gus began to leave, Steel had a thought. "Actually...Helga, stay here for a minute,"

Both teenagers stopped, and Helga turned around and trotted over to Steel. Gus's expression turned to a worried one, and he crept behind the building so he could keep an eye on the situation.

"Yes?" Helga asked sweetly, looking up at Steel with her big eyes.

Steel suddenly reached forward and put a hand on Helga's cheek, smirking at her. "Meet me Monday afternoon at three," he told her huskily. " _Alone,_ "

Helga's mouth fell open in surprise, but then a smile spread across her face and she winked at him. "Okay, Mister Steel!"

As she met up with Gus inside the building, he turned to her, concerned. "I didn't like what I just saw," he told her, upset. "I'm afraid he'll hurt you,"

"Oh, hush!" Helga snapped, reaching into the bag and pulling out a coin. "You wouldn't know a good time if it looked you in the face,"

Gus looked away and was silent for a few seconds, before asking timidly, "Is it worth it?"

Helga peeled the foil off the coin and took a bite of the chocolate inside. "Yes,"


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12:

Monday.

Cerise stormed out of class and into the woods to clear her head. Her day had been going all right until someone (and she still wasn't sure who) had decided to leave a relatively modern-looking storybook on her desk with a tagged page. When Cerise flipped open to the page, she found a gruesome drawing of the Big Bad Wolf lying on his side covered in blood with a hatchet next to him. Scribbled beside the drawing was an arrow pointing to it and the words, _"YOU"_ written near the top of the page.

Who would think of such a thing!? And why? Who would be that angry at her to leave a potential threat for her to find?

Kneeling in the grass, Cerise pulled the story book out of her red cloak and laid it down. She grabbed a small stone and some twigs, taking the stone and scraping it against the twigs in hopes of starting a fire. She never did get a flame going.

"You could start a forest fire that way," a voice above her remarked. Cerise stopped her kindling and looked up- it was Clawdeen.

"Clawdeen!" Cerise stood up quickly, dropping the materials and throwing her arms around the other wolf. Ever since the two worlds had collided, Cerise was always ecstatic to see another wolf.

As they pulled away, Clawdeen spotted the book in the grass. "Why were you trying to burn that?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

Cerise sighed heavily and bent down, retrieving the book. "Look at this!" she flipped it open to the tagged page and showed Clawdeen. "Look what they wrote!"

Clawdeen took the book and stared at the page, her brow furrowing. "That's sick," Clawdeen said finally, handing the book back. "Where did you find this?"

"It was on my desk," explained Cerise. "I don't know who left it there,"

"You might wanna keep it and show it to your Headmaster," Clawdeen suggested. "That can be considered a threat, you know,"

Cerise rolled her eyes. "Yeah, like _he'll_ do anything about it,"

There was a pause, and then Clawdeen cleared her throat. "Hey, did your friends tell you about the Alpha Queen?"

"Alpha Queen?" Cerise looked up her left ear twitching. "No, they didn't,"

"Yeah," Clawdeen continued, sitting down on a nearby log and gesturing for Cerise to sit with her. "The Alpha Queen has something to do with the storm that connected our worlds. I always thought that it was just some dumb old legend, but it turns out that it's true or something. I feel kinda bad, now- see, the only wolf I know who still believes in that stuff is Brocko, and the other wolves always kind of mocked him for it,"

Cerise thought back to that evening in the woods, and what Brocko had said: _"Wolves are connected anyway- you know, through the Alpha Queen?"_

"Maybe I can talk to Brocko," Cerise wondered aloud, glancing up into the trees. "Do you think he knows anything else about the Alpha Queen?"

Clawdeen shrugged. "Probably. His family's crazy religious, so I'm guessing he knows a bunch. He has track practice after school, so try to see if you can speak with him then,"

Following Clawdeen's advice, Cerise headed to Monster High's track grounds to talk to Brocko. Ramona insisted on following her, and Cerise knew that there would be no refusing her. So, both girls arrived at the track just as the team was waiting for the coach.

Brocko was sitting on the bleachers in his jersey when Ramona and Cerise approached. When he saw them, he sat up and flicked both of his ears out.

"Can I help you?" he asked, politely.

"You're Brocko, right?" when he nodded, Cerise continued. "Remember me? I have to ask you something,"

"Yeah, I remember you. What do you need?"

Cerise hesitated, trying to think of how to phrase the question, but then Ramona stepped forward instead. "It's about your religion or something. About that...wolf...queen...whatever. You know what? You explain it, Cerise,"

"I was going to, but thank you," Cerise muttered before taking a breath. "The Alpha Queen is real, and that Great Storm happened because of her,"

"I knew it!" Brocko exclaimed excitedly, leaping off of the bleachers. "And the others didn't believe me! So, tell me- who told you this?"

"Uh, a friend did. But, we don't know much about what really happened,"

Brocko just nodded. "I get it, I get it," he studied Cerise's face for a moment before starting to ask, "Hey, do you want to-?"

All of the sudden, there was a loud smacking sound and an outraged cry from the track. The three wolves looked to the track, getting a good eyeful of the scene that proceeded to unfold before them.

"What the _HELL,_ Coach!?" cried Heath, curled up on the ground in agony with his hands tucked between his legs. "Why'd you raise the hurdle so high!? That nailed me in the crotch!"

"Oh, stop whining!" snapped Coach Igor, crossing his arms. "Maybe if you weren't such a little girl, I wouldn't have to make you jump so high!"

When Heath just snarled in annoyance and tried to get up, Manny walked over with a polaroid camera and took a photo of him.

"Hey!" Heath's head jerked up when Manny photographed. "Oh, you're gonna get it! Get your stupid little hipster ass back here!"

Manny just laughed at him and checked the photo, but Heath wasn't having it. He jumped up and tackled Manny, and this led to the other boys trying to pull them apart, and then an all out brawl. Coach Igor just watched silently.

"Is anyone gonna stop them?" asked Cerise, concerned.

Brocko shook his head. "Nope, they'll wear themselves out. Anyway, I was gonna ask if you wanted to go out sometime?"

Cerise's ears perked up quickly. She wasn't expecting that. "Um...m-me?"

"Yeah!" Brocko went on. "I bet you'd love the steakhouse down the street from here. They just opened, and their steak and eggs are just-"

Ramona suddenly grabbed Cerise's wrist and began pulling her away. "She's not interested! Bye!"

"What!?" Cerise began trying to tug away. "Ramona- no! Brocko," she twisted around to look at him and tried to smile. "I'll-I'll talk to you later! I would love to eat steak and eggs with you!" she yelped when Ramona gripped her even tighter and practically dragged her into the woods.

Once both girls were alone in the forest, Cerise whipped around and shoved Ramona in the chest. "What was that!?"

"I'm trying to help you!" Ramona clapped back without missing a beat.

"Help with what!?" Cerise snarled, clenching her fist. "Ruining my relationships!? What's so bad about the other wolves?"

Ramona huffed, shaking her head. "Look, I'm just following what Dad told me, okay?"

There was a pause, and then Cerise realized what her sister had said. "Wait...what did Dad tell you?"

Rather than answering, Ramona just stopped and looked up, her brow furrowing. She looked behind her shoulder and tensed up.

Cerise raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Shh!" hissed Ramona, crouching, her voice low. "Do you smell that?"

"Smell what-" Cerise halted, catching the scent. It was another wolf, there was no mistaking that, but this scent was different. It seemed...hostile, somehow, like there was someone looking to attack them.

It was then that Cerise felt something on the back of her neck, like a warm breeze. It was a moist, hot breeze, and it was getting closer. A knot of fear began to form in Cerise's stomach, and she slowly turned around.

Standing behind her, breathing against her skin, was the biggest, ugliest wolf she'd ever laid eyes on. He had to be bigger than her father, with huge muscles and wall to wall teeth lining his rancid mouth. A scar crossed his right eye, and his ears had notches in them. He stood upright, like a human, but wore only a ripped loincloth around his waist. He began to growl, and it seemed as loud as thunder.

The knot within Cerise suddenly burst, and it came out in the form of her screaming, _"RUN!"_

Both girls bolted. They didn't know where they were going, but they knew they had to get away. As they ran, Ramona looked behind them to see that the wolf was chasing after them, and he was getting close.

"Cerise!" Ramona panted as they ran, a desperate look in her eyes. "I gonna go get Dad, you run to our house and get Mom!"

Cerise could only nod as she and her sister split into separate directions, but as she ran further into the woods, she made the horrifying realization that the wolf had chosen to go after her and that he was nearly touching her, now. She tried to pick up the pace and felt a flicker of hope when she saw her family's cottage just in view, but everything shattered when a sudden tug around her neck sent her tumbling head over heels into the grass.

Gasping, Cerise rolled over to see that the wolf had gotten a hold of her cloak. He had it clutched in his huge paw, and he began to drag her towards him. Struggling, Cerise looked towards the cottage and screamed for help, just before unsheathing her claws and digging them into her attacker's arm.

Before the wolf could fight back, a gunshot split the air and took a chunk of fur off of his shoulder. The wolf howled in pain and pulled away, giving Cerise the opportunity to escape. As Cerise stumbled to her feet and rushed towards the cottage, she saw her mother coming towards her with a smoking shotgun.

"Cerise, are you all right!?" Red demanded to know, grabbing her daughter protectively and pushing her behind her. "Where did this thing come from!?"

"I don't know!" cried Cerise, looking over her mother's shoulder anxiously. "Ramona and I were in the woods-!"

The wolf came bounding towards them and tackled Red, sinking his teeth into her hood and dragging her away. Cerise yelped in horror and raced after him, leaping up and attacking his shoulder.

Cerise then felt a pair of strong hands grab her and tear her away from the wolf, and the unmistakeable sound of fighting canines ensued. Breathing hard, Cerise looked up, seeing that Badwolf had arrived.

The two male wolves bit and tore at each other, which allowed Red to escape. She grabbed her shotgun back and re-loaded, and she kept both Cerise and Ramona (who'd just arrived) right behind her. Before she aimed at the other wolf's head, she said to her daughters, "If anything happens, I love both of you,"

However, nothing happened.

Both wolves were just staring at one another, bloody and panting, and they appeared to be sniffing at one another. After a moment, Badwolf knelt on the ground and bowed his head, his ears going flat. The other wolf just gave a respectful nod, and he turned around and disappeared into the trees.

When the attacker was gone, Red ran up to where her husband knelt and put her arms around him, shaking him. "What happened!? Who was that!?"

The two sisters rushed over as well, and they both bent down to look at him. There was a huge gash on his shoulder, and there was a smaller one on his forehead.

"Dad?" Cerise swallowed nervously. "Who was that?"

Badwolf shifted into his human form, and the cuts were still there. Finally, he answered simply, "Isengrim,"


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13:

The time was currently 3:30 PM, an hour after school ended. Rather than going to their dorm rooms to study, Ramona and Cerise sat silently in the living room of their cottage and watched their mother clean their father's wounds with whiskey.

"Hey!" snapped Badwolf, recoiling from the whiskey-soaked rag. "Red, that stings!"

Red just sighed, dipping the rag back down into the saucer. "That just means that it's killing the germs. Please hold still,"

As Red continued to clean the cuts, Cerise took a breath and had to ask, "Dad, was that really Isengrim? Like, _the_ Isengrim?"

"Yes," Badwolf leaned his head into his hand. He looked tired. "Our kin. Wolves must always show respect to their kin, no matter the circumstances,"

"Umm, hello!?" Ramona crossed her arms and huffed angrily. "He tried to kill us! And then you just bowed to him! What was that!?"

Badwolf turned away and glared at the wall. "It was out of respect, Ramona. Without him, we wouldn't be here,"

"So!?" Ramona stalked over to the rocking chair where her father sat, tapping her foot in annoyance. "Kin's never really mattered to you before!"

Badwolf stood up suddenly, startling his wife and daughters. "Ramona-!" he began to scold but stopped. He sank back down into the rocking chair and covered his face with his hands. "I'm sorry, everyone,"

"It's fine," Red assured, setting the saucer of whiskey to the side and standing up. She kissed her husband's cheek before addressing her daughters. "We'll leave your father be, girls. I'll take you back to school, all right?"

The girls agreed, and they headed off towards Ever After High, leaving their father alone. As they walked in the woods, Cerise had a thought.

"Mom," she started, getting her mother's attention. "Why doesn't Dad want us hanging out with other wolves?"

Red went silent for a few seconds before taking a breath and answering. "Let's just say your father is trying his best to protect you,"

Cerise was about to ask what her father was trying to protect her from, but when she saw how exhausted her mother looked, she decided it was best to keep quiet. Instead, she took her mother's hand and coiled her fingers around her own.

That was Monday.

Tuesday.

At Monster High, Bloodgood was in the middle of talking to her Trigular Calcometry 101 class about new and advanced calculators the school had just paid for.

"We've ordered three types for this class," Bloodgood explained to the cluster of students. "You will sign them out for each night you have homework, and you are to sign them back in for the weekends. If you fail to return a calculator, you will receive a fine. Any questions on that?"

When there were none, Bloodgood continued. "All right, then. The first calculator is for graphing," she held up a yellow, bulky calculator for the students to see. "It is charged with batteries, and the janitors here will charge them, not you," she set it down and grabbed another one, a small red one this time. "This one is for complex equations. It comes with a guide, which we will all read together come next Monday. Now, the last one-" she stopped when saw that the third one wasn't there. "Oh, come on! Where's the division calculator!? Excuse me for a moment," she opened up her desk and dug around inside it, snarling to herself when she still couldn't find it. "I must have left it on the desk in my office! Someone must fetch it for me," her eyes scanned over the students, and they came to rest on the student who was closest to the door: Toralei Stripe. "Miss Stripe! Please go retrieve the calculator from my office,"

Toralei sat up in surprise. "Me?"

"Yes, I mean you," Bloodgood grabbed her keys and tossed them to the werecat. "You'll have to unlock the door. The calculator should be right there on my desk, now hurry!"

Toralei started to leave, but then she stopped and smirked at her teacher. "What about that request I had earlier? Will you-?"

"No, I'm not changing your 68 to a 95," Bloodgood stated firmly. "Go now,"

With an annoyed sigh, Toralei opened the door and stepped into the hallway, the keys rattling in her hands. She strode briskly to the office and stuck the keys in the lock, turning and swinging the door wide open.

"Ah, there you are," she mumbled, spotting the calculator. As she walked over to the desk to pick it up, something else caught her eye. "Hello, what's this?"

It was a framed picture, specifically one from an old camera, that had previously not been on the desk before. It was of four people standing beside a fountain, all smiling and wearing fancy clothes. Toralei looked a bit closer, and she realized it was a picture of a much younger Bloodgood in a beautiful, lacy gown posing with two men and another woman. The two men were obviously the headmasters from the other school, Milton Grimm, and Giles Grimm, and they seemed younger as well. Young Nora had her arm wrapped around Giles's, while the other woman, a blonde with a tiara and an oddly placed collar, had her arm wrapped around Milton's. They all seemed to be getting along and in good spirits.

Toralei raised an eyebrow. "Huh. Wonder what this is about?"

"Don't you know better than to snoop in your Headmistress's desk?" a voice above her inquired, and Toralei nearly jumped a foot.

She whipped around and became face-to-face with a girl who, despite her human appearance, had a cat-like scent and even ears. "Does she know you're here?" the girl continued, grinning a wide and giddy grin.

Toralei was silent for nearly a minute before she answered, "Uh...s-she sent me here," The other she-cat was giving off an unreadable aura, but Toralei vowed that she wouldn't look stupid in front of anyone. She lifted her chin up proudly and crossed her arms. "And why are _you_ here?"

"Just visiting, I guess," the she-cat held out her pale hand for a handshake. "The name's Kitty Chesire, and I _adore_ your hair!"

Upon hearing this, Toralei rolled her eyes and picked the calculator up. "Well, thank you, but I don't have time for this. I gotta drop this off," she turned to go, only to see that Kitty had suddenly changed location and was blocking the exit.

"Why so soon?" Kitty asked innocently, folding her hands delicately in front of her. "I hardly ever get to see cats like me!"

Toralei huffed in annoyance and tried to get past the other girl. "Oh, come on! What's your problem!?" when Kitty refused to relent, Toralei gave up and nearly slammed the calculator back on the desk. "What's wrong with you!? Can't you go skinny-dipping in a rabbit hole somewhere and leave me alone!?"

Kitty snickered madly, extending an arm and wrapping it around Toralei's shoulders. "Why, is that a challenge? It sounds, well, interesting _,_ " Gently, she pushed the other cat towards the wall and looked her in the eyes, whispering, "But, if I ever did, would you join me?"

"W...what?" Toralei normally would have pushed her off, but something within her was telling her to remain in her spot and to listen to Kitty.

"Listen," Kitty came closer, so close that their foreheads were nearly touching. "I saw you after the storm last week, and I wanted to talk to you but never got the chance. You remind me of myself, you know," she placed her hand on the other's shoulder and kept it there- her hands were warm. "Would you like to hear what I have to say?"

Toralei's heart was racing, and her entire body was tingling. So many thoughts were coursing through her mind at once, but she couldn't get out a single one.

The door opened loudly and suddenly, and Cupid's voice broke through Toralei's thoughts like sunlight through a cloud. "Toralei, Bloodgood sent me to check on you because you were taking so long. Is everything...?" she trailed off, tilting her head. "Toralei?"

Toralei blinked, looking around. "Wha-?" Kitty was gone, leaving Toralei to wonder if the encounter had actually happened.

"Are you feeling okay?" asked Cupid, concerned. "You seem a little on edge,"

"I-I," Toralei shifted uncomfortably. "I'm okay. I just...the calculator's on the desk. Tell Ms. Bloodgood I'm in the bathroom," and with that, she left the room quickly.

Cupid shrugged, walking over to the desk and picking up the calculator. This, however, was when she saw the framed picture on the desk.

Her eyes widened in surprise, picking up the frame. "Whoa!" she reached into her pocket, pulling out her Mirror-Pad (which she still kept with her) and scanning the picture to make a quick copy for the others to see.

Later that afternoon, once school had ended, Cupid could hardly contain her excitement as she met her Ever After High friends at the Tea Shoppe to show them the discovery.

"So, that's obviously Giles Grimm and Bloodgood," Cupid pointed out, displaying the picture to the others. "And that's clearly Headmaster Grimm, but do you recognize the woman he's with?"

Cedar Wood leaned forward from her seat and squinted at the woman's face. "She doesn't look familiar to me, but look at that tiara! Maybe she's a princess,"

"You really think Headmaster Grimm would date a princess?" Raven raised an eyebrow, looking skeptical. "He's such a rule-follower. I highly doubt he would risk throwing off someone's destiny by getting romantically involved with them,"

Apple tapped her chin thought, studying the picture. "You know, I feel like I've seen that tiara before, but I can't think of where. You know what? Cupid, send me a copy of that. I'm meeting my parents for dinner tonight and they may recognize that princess,"

As Cupid prepared to send the picture, she couldn't help but ask, "What's the occasion, Apple?"

"It's my father's birthday," Apple explained rather matter-of-factly. "We're meeting at the Garden Castle Inn for supper. They've just opened, and I hear they're simply excellent,"

Just then, Duchess Swan came marching over from another table and stood over the group of girls. "All right, little banshees," she crossed her arms and glared at them. "Which one of you took my pin?"

The girls exchanged confused glances before Raven answered, "Um...none of us?"

"Where did you last see it, Duchess?" Maddie asked, trying to be helpful.

"Don't play dumb!" snapped Duchess, more irritated than usual. "That's my mother's pin! It was right on my table over there, and when I got up to get some napkins, it was gone when I returned! Now, confess, or..." she trailed off when she saw Cupid's Mirror-Pad lying face up with the picture still on it. "What's that?"

Cupid glanced down at her Mirror-Pad, protectively pulling it close to her. "Nothing you should be concerned with- hey!" she jumped in surprise when Duchess yanked the Mirror-Pad towards herself, staring down at the picture with wide, confused eyes.

When Duchess zoomed in on Headmaster Grimm and the princess, Apple was struck with a sudden thought. "Duchess, do you recognize her?"

There was a long, dreadful pause, and Duchess silently laid the Mirror-Pad back down. Her mouth moved like she wanted to talk, but couldn't, and then her eyes rolled back and her knees gave out from under her.

The girls simultaneously cried out when Duchess passed out on the floor, and Maddie leaped up and ran to the counter. "Dad! Dad, Duchess fainted! Come quickly!"

* * *

 **This is longer than the other chapters, in case you didn't notice, but hopefully, it kept your interest long enough!**

 **I just wanted to take this time to say that I am INCREDIBLY pleased with the response this has gotten in such a short time! I'm glad I could write something that so many people are enjoying.**

 **Again, if you have any comments are questions, please put them in a review so I can address whatever you have to say/ask.**


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14:

The Mad Hatter quickly abandoned his position at the counter and helped drag Duchess to a back room with a sofa and a cabinet full of tea bags. He laid her down on the sofa and got a cold water-soaked rag ready.

"Hold her head up for me," Hatter commanded gently, watching as Maddie obeyed and tucked her hands beneath the other girl's head. He then began to dab the cold rag against the unconscious girl's forehead. This went on for about thirty seconds before Duchess's eyes opened. When she sat up and looked around groggily, Hatter reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Do you feel all right?"

The other girls stood around in the room and watched as Duchess blinked a few times, disoriented. "I...what happened?"

"We showed you this," Cupid tipped the Mirror-Pad towards Duchess to show her. "And then you fainted. What scared you so much? Could you tell us?"

Duchess stared at the woman in the picture, and she sighed. "I can't. I...I have to go,"

When she tried to stand up, Hatter stopped her quickly. "Oh, no you don't. Which table were you sitting at?"

"The one by the back,"

"All right then," he stood up, going to the door. "I'll retrieve the turnover and tea you ordered, and you can eat back here until you're well enough,"

When he was gone, Apple leaned into Duchess's face. "Well?"

Duchess just glared. "Well, _what?_ "

"You really aren't going to tell us?" Apple asked innocently. "But we helped you-"

"I don't have to do anything," Duchess said firmly, crossing her arms. "Leave,"

When she said this, the girls just sort of shrugged their shoulders and walked out, leaving Duchess behind in the small room. Cupid, however, had other ideas, and she lingered behind to talk to Duchess.

"Duchess, _please,_ " Cupid begged, sitting down on the sofa with her. "Talk to me. I want to know who that woman is to you. Talking about it might make you feel better,"

Duchess wrung her hands, rocking back and forth anxiously. After a moment, she glanced behind Cupid's shoulder to make sure the door was indeed locked. "Can you keep a secret?"

"Of course-" Cupid started to say, but Duchess wasn't done.

"You have to _promise_ you won't tell!" Duchess demanded, jabbing her finger in Cupid's direction. "Because I swear if you do-"

"I won't!" Cupid assured quickly. "I promise, I won't. Now, will you tell me?"

There was an uncomfortable pause, and then Duchess took a breath. "I'm almost positive that she's my mother,"'

The fate of Duchess's mother was one that very few members of Ever After High knew, but Cupid knew the story: as many are aware, the story 'Swan Lake' ends tragically, with the princess losing her prince and her happy ending to the hands of death. Princess Odette, however, chose to cheat death and live the rest of her days as a swan, abandoning her husband and infant daughter. When Prince Derek heard this, he headed for the hills on a 'hunting trip', never to return.

As a result, young Duchess was left in the care of Derek's mother, her grandmother. Yet, because Odette had not followed through with her destiny, she was expected to die the death her mother could not.

Before Cupid could inquire how Duchess knew this (as it seemed like Duchess had never seen her mother), the door opened.

"Here you are, Miss Swan!" Hatter entered with a small tray with a cup of tea and a cherry turnover. "I had to reheat your tea, it had gone cold,"

Duchess sat up and took the tray, asking, "You aren't going to charge me extra for this, are you?"

Hatter seemed baffled at the very notion. "Me!? Charge a princess extra for fainting in my establishment!? Certainly not!"

Cupid couldn't help but giggle when Hatter said this, but at the same time, a pit formed inside her stomach. She knew the girls were going to ask her what Duchess said when she returned to the table, and she had to lie. She hated lying, but she was no Cedar Wood.

"Did Duchess tell you anything?" asked Raven when Cupid sat back down.

Cupid took a breath and shook her head. "Um...no. No, she didn't say anything,"

Apple huffed in annoyance. "Figures. Well, I have a copy of the image, now, and I can show my parents at supper tonight,"

Just as she usually did, Apple stayed true to her word. That evening, Apple met her with parents and her Mirror-Pad clutched in her hands.

"Mother! Father!" Apple exclaimed as she rushed into the restaurant and trotted to the table towards the front. "I'm so happy to see both of you," she kissed her mother, and then her father. "I've missed you,"

"As we have you, my treasure," Queen Snow White smiled at her daughter and stroked her arm affectionately. "Sit down, now- we ordered those lovely soft pretzels you like so well," she gestured to the basket of pretzels with the saucer of beer cheese in the middle. "Eat something and talk to us,"

When Apple sat down and delicately tore a pretzel in two, King Stephen, her father, asked softly, "How's school going, Apple?"

"Wonderful!" Apple began, thrilled. "We're having an Open House, did you hear? It's with those students from Monster High!"

Snow White's smile faded slightly. "Yes...Monster High. You're getting along with those students?"

Apple nodded enthusiastically. "Of course! A few of them are, well, rather hideous, but they're very friendly,"

"And it's an overnight?" Snow inquired, folding the napkin across her lap.

"Yes! We're staying at their school,"

King Stephen began to look worried. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

Apple raised an eyebrow. "Whatever do you mean?"

Before Stephen could elaborate, Snow cut in and explained. "Oh, it's nothing, dear. We just...have concerns about you sleeping in an unknown area,"

"You really shouldn't!" Apple tried to assure. "We're going to be sleeping in one of the classrooms, there's a bathroom across the hall, and there will be a chaperone on duty!"

"Well, that's good to hear," Snow smiled again and gave a nod. "However, I'm going to speak with your Headmaster to see if I could chaperone,"

Apple thought about telling her mother that it _really_ wasn't an issue and that they didn't need another chaperone, but she knew there would be no swaying someone like Queen Snow White. Instead, her eyes wandered to her Mirror-Pad, and she picked it up. "Mother, I have to show you something,"

Snow raised an eyebrow. "Oh?" she reached out her pale hands as her daughter handed over the Mirror-Pad. She caught sight of the picture Apple had open on it. "What's this?"

"C.A Cupid found this picture on Headmistress Bloodgood's desk," explained Apple. "But I don't-"

"Would you look at this!" Snow exclaimed suddenly, a look of horror crossing her face. "Why, it's the Grimm Brothers! And Milton is with Queen Odette! When was this taken?!"

Apple didn't know that part. "W-well...a long time ago, I think. That's Queen Odette?"

"It has to be!" Snow shook her head, almost disappointed. "I can hardly believe it. Now, I certainly will have to meet with Milton Grimm!"

Upon hearing this, panic struck Apple. "Mother, I really don't think that's a good idea! Maybe that was taken before she was married,"

Stephen seemed to agree, but Snow stopped him before he could argue. "Oh, please. She's wearing her engagement gown, the one Prince Derek bought for her! I smell infidelity, and if Milton Grimm is telling these students to follow their destinies when he made a woman stray from her own, that makes him a hypocrite! I _will_ talk to your Headmaster, Apple," she glanced up from the table. "Here comes a waiter, finally! Let us have supper and get you back to your school by curfew, dear one,"

That was Tuesday night.

Wednesday.

Clawd, Romulus, and Brocko went to the office to drop off their Open House permission slips. It was a day early, but they made haste nonetheless.

"And then her sister answered for her and dragged her away!" Brocko lamented to his friends as they discussed Cerise and Ramona. "Isn't that weird?"

"Yeah," Clawd agreed. "Usually, wolves will go out of their way to hang out with others. There's probably something else going on that we don't know about,"

Romulus's ear twitched in thought. "Maybe I can try to talk to them. Cerise seems cool, but I don't know about Ramona,"

They dropped off their papers in the basket, Brocko sighed sadly. "Hopefully, she'll come to this Open House and I'll get to see her again. She seems really smart and interesting,"

At this moment, Valentine walked briskly up to the basket and placed his permission slip inside. Clawd noticed, and he couldn't help but feel slightly suspicious. "Going after all, huh?"

Valentine didn't say anything, and he just turned and gave Clawd an irritated look. When this happened, the wolves exchanged glances with one another.

As Valentine started to walk away, Clawd went up to him and clamped his hand down on his shoulder. "Now, you listen here," growled Clawd, leaning in close to Valentine's ear. "If you're looking to pull something with these Ever After High girls, you aren't gonna get far, and I will make sure of that,"

The door opened just then, and Bram entered with Gory at his side. When he saw what was going on, his mouth fell open and he stalked over to the two boys.

"What's going on here!?" Bram demanded to know. "What are you doing to Kieran!?"

Clawd released Valentine, crossing his arms. "I just letting him know what'll happen if he tries to mess with anyone at the Open House,"

"He's not going to!" Bram snapped, shoving Clawd in the chest. "Not only are you ugly, you're pretty stupid, too!"

Just as Clawd was thinking of a comeback, Valentine made what sounded like a high-pitched cough. Everyone in the room turned to look at him, and Clawd felt his heart drop.

 _Oh, God._ "Valentine?"

Valentine's whole body was shaking, he had a hand over his mouth, and tears were trailing down his cheeks. Clawd's mouth hung open silently- did he really just make Valentine cry?

Clawd's train of thought abruptly stopped when Bram's fist came charging into his face, his knuckles making a sickening crack as they met with his nose. Clawd almost fell over from the shock of the punch, and he heard Bram shout at him, "You inconsiderate, stupid mutt! His cousin died last night!"

This was the moment Headmistress Bloodgood came running in, and she grabbed both Bram and Clawd by the collars of their shirts. "Bram! Clawd! What is going on in here!?"

Just mere moments later, Clawd and Bram found themselves seated before Bloodgood's desk, with the door behind them locked tight. Bloodgood's nails drummed loudly on the wood of her desk.

She'd heard both their sides of the story, and she was making her decision. "Well," she took a breath. "Clawd, what you did to Valentine an be considered bullying, even though you seemed to think it was for a good cause at the time," she looked up, her brow furrowing as she tucked her hand beneath her chin. "I hope you realize that Valentine was the one who replenished the money in your school lunch account when you were running low. I heard him telling another teacher about it,"

Clawd remembered that day: he knew that there was about $5 left in his school account, probably enough to buy a small bag of chips, so he'd brought along a few extra dollars to ensure he could pay for his food. However, when he went up to pay, the lunch lady assured him that there was enough in the account already and that he didn't need to the extra dollars. At the time, Clawd figured there was just a glitch in the programming.

Now, he knew that Valentine was just trying to make amends with him, and here Clawd had been these past weeks: trash-talking him and denying him any form of trust. He felt awful, and all he could murmur out was, "I'm sorry,"

"Don't apologize to me!" Bloodgood scolded, folding her hands on the desk. "Apologize to Kieran. He wants nothing more than to be on good terms with you, but that's going to be difficult considering what you've said to him today. As of now, you are banned from participating in the next casket ball game. Understood?"

"I understand," Clawd answered, his voice barely audible.

When Bram starting grinning maniacally, Bloodgood focused her attention on him. "You aren't completely innocent either, Bram. I understand that you were defending your friend, but striking Clawd was uncalled for. You are also banned from your next game,"

"What!?" Bram stood up, pounding his hand on the desk. "Why!? I did nothing wrong!"

"You could've broken Clawd's nose. You're lucky I didn't suspend you," Bloodgood explained dryly. "Please get your hand off my desk,"

Bram whirled around and stalked out, and Clawd tried to follow him. "Bram, I-"

"Shut up!" hissed Bram, glaring at Clawd bitterly. "You'll pay for this, I swear!"

When the door closed, Bloodgood leaned back in her chair and rubbed her eyes. "Oh, Lord..." there was a knock at the door, and she sat up and recomposed herself. "Come in!"

Much to her delight, it was Giles Grimm, and he was carrying something heavy in a paper bag. "I brought you something!" he announced, pulling up a chair beside her. "I figured you'd need a little something for the day," he reached into the bag and pulled out a bottle of white wine and a box of pastries. "Remember how you always wanted to try white wine?"

"Yes!" laughed Nora, reaching into a drawer on her desk and pulling out some glasses. "And your brother refused to let you buy me any because he thought a girl my age shouldn't be drinking white wine," as she cleared off her desk and set the glasses down, she raised an eyebrow at Giles. "How did you get this past the front desk?"

"I told them it was ginger ale," he smiled at her, uncorking the bottle and pouring the liquid into the glasses.

As Nora took a sip of the wine, her eyes came to rest on the picture on the desk. "Hey," she spoke up, getting Giles's attention. "Do you remember this day?"

Giles looked over at the picture, and a chuckle escaped him. "I certainly do. I loved that dress you wore, you looked so beautiful," he sipped the wine, and he gazed back up at Nora. "You're still just as beautiful, now,"

Nora couldn't help but giggle. "Stop it, you,"

He reached over and laid his hand down on hers, and she squeezed his hand in return.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15:

After school ended, Cupid was checking out a book from the Monster High library when a very distressed Clawd approached.

"Cupid, I need your help," Clawd began, clutching the straps of his backpack nervously. "I really messed up, big time, and I've been trying to make up for it. You got a minute?"

Cupid nodded quickly, sitting down on a bench and motioning for Clawd to sit as well. "Of course I do! What happened?"

Clawd took a breath and grimaced with shame. "I...I need to apologize to Valentine. He's been trying to make amends these past weeks, and all I did was push him away! I really want to apologize to him, but I'm not sure how,"

There was a pause as Cupid considered the situation. "Well," she leaned her chin on her hand in thought. "Maybe you should just give Kieran some space. He might just want you to leave him alone,"

"Yeah, but..." Clawd chewed on his lip nervously. "He's coming to the Open House anyway,"

 _Wait, what?_ "I don't understand," Cupid thought back on her conversation with him less than a week earlier. "He didn't pick up a permission slip at the meeting!"

Clawd shrugged. "Well, he dropped one off at the office, that means he's going. His cousin just passed away, too,"

Kieran had said he had a sick cousin, but Cupid didn't realize they'd been _that_ sick. "Maybe..." Cupid's mind reeled with possible solutions. "Maybe I could get him acquainted with someone at Ever After High! Perhaps a new friend might be what he needs,"

So, that afternoon, Cupid decided to do what she did best and find a match for her friend at the Tea Shoppe. Of course, she wasn't going to make him fall in love with anyone- it was too early for that, and she needed to take her time in finding him a partner. For a moment, she considered herself, but...no, no, she couldn't put herself with him. She was 'Cupid', it had to be with someone else, right?

"Cupid, what are you doing?" Maddie raised an eyebrow as she poured her friends their tea. Cupid was staring intently into the sea of customers at tables, scanning each one carefully.

Cupid was staring intently into the sea of customers at tables, scanning each one carefully. "I need to find a match for a friend of mine," she explained after a moment, sipping her tea. "He's been having trouble with other monsters, so I think..." she trailed off, and she quickly turned her attention to Maddie. "Maddie! would you be interested?"

Maddie stopped in her tracks. "In what?"

"In being a date for my friend at the Open House!" Cupid explained gleefully, taking her hand. "Well, of course, an Open House doesn't really have dates, per say, but it wouldn't be a romantic thing! Just talk to him, hang out with him, maybe give him some tea. His name's Valentine, and I think it would be perfect for him to talk to you! What do you say?"

"Hmm," Maddie tapped the table in thought. After a moment, she shrugged. "Sure! Why not?"

Cupid sprang up from her chair and threw her arms around Maddie, startling her. "Oh, thank you, Maddie! You won't regret this,"

Later that night, in the parking lot of a vampire night club known as 'Blood Fever', two vampires were engaging in intimacy when one of them suddenly sat up and turned away.

"You know what, Gory? I'm not in the mood!" snarled Bram, sitting on the edge of the backseat and crossing his arms.

Gory sat up as well, half-naked and irritated. "What the Hell?! Why'd you stop?"

Bram huffed, resting his chin on his fist. "I'm pissed!"

When she heard this, Gory rolled her eyes. "God...why can't you just forget about it?"

"I don't wanna forget about it, Gory," Bram fell back in the seat, glaring at the ceiling. "Clawd humiliated me...and I have to do the same to him!"

"No, you don't," Gory tried to say, but Bram was losing it.

"I want him to pay up for what he did!" Bram seethed. "He can't get away with this! And you're going to help me," he grabbed her shoulders suddenly, running his tongue across his teeth. "When we're through with him, that mutt's not gonna know what hit him!"

Gory jumped a bit, but soon she relaxed and melted into his touch. "Oh, you're always so amazing, Bram! You're so hot when you're angry," she pressed into him and kissed his neck messily. "Whatever your game is, I'm ready to play!"

That was Wednesday.

Thursday, a day before the Open House.

Ginger Breadhouse shoved the last tray of cookies into the oven, wiping her brow and sighing in relief. Her free period was almost over, so she was very relieved to get the last batch in. Of course, she was going to be a bit late to her next class since she had to wait for the cookies to bake, but that wouldn't be an issue.

"Good morning, Ginger!" said a sickeningly sweet voice behind her, and Ginger looked up.

It was Helga Crumb, and her cousin Gus stood right beside her. Ginger already knew what they wanted before they could even ask, and she reached for a small bowl on the counter.

"Good morning, you two," Ginger smiled back, setting down the bowl in front of them. "Unfortunately, I can't sell anything because everything I bake has to be for tomorrow night's Open House, but here are some extras! They're free samples,"

As both Helga and Gus chose a cookie, Ginger then noticed the pretty, gold charm bracelet that hung from Helga's wrist. "Why, Helga! What a lovely bracelet you have. Is that new?"

Helga proudly held up her wrist, giggling, "Yes, it is! My _boyfriend_ bought it for me!"

When Helga said this, Gus swallowed nervously and looked away.

Ginger tilted her head, interested. "Boyfriend? I didn't know you had a boyfriend,"

"I do!" Helga took another bite of her cookie, her heels clicking on the ground. "His name's Steel, and he thinks I'm really cool! He bought my earrings, too," she turned her head and showed off a pair of cupcake-shaped earrings. "I like him a lot,"

At this moment, Gus anxiously finished his cookie and turned to leave. "I have to go. I have...study hall," just as he was leaving, Ginger caught the look in his eyes: something was off.

"Uh, Helga..." Ginger tapped her finger on the table. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah!" Helga glared in Gus's direction. "He's just a bit tedious is all. But, don't worry," she pulled out her pocket mirror to reapply her lip gloss. "He likes you. I read his diary- he likes your legs and hair,"

Ginger let out a gasp, running a hand through her thick pink hair. "H-he thinks it's nice?" she heard the timer on the oven, and she shook her head quickly. "I'm sorry, Helga. I'd love to stay and chat, but I must get these cookies ready for tomorrow! I have a class in just a few minutes," as Helga nodded and grabbed another cookie on the way out, Ginger called out, "Be careful, all right?"

That same day, the chaperones for the Open House arrived to meet with Headmaster Grimm. The students had no idea who would be chaperoning up until this point, so naturally, everyone was curious.

"Was your father interested in chaperoning?" asked Alistair as he and Bunny Blanc sat in the Lounge Area.

Bunny shook her head quickly. "Goodness, no! Ever since the storm, he's been incredibly nervous about getting swallowed by something awful. He's stayed cooped up in that hole of his," she sighed sadly. "I wish he could come out and visit with me,"

Alistair nodded understandingly, and his eyes wandered to the windows the of the lounge. He gasped slightly when he saw who was standing in the hallway, and he stood up. "Hey, Bunny? I'll be right back!" he pushed the door open, stepped outside and ran to the visitor. "Mother! What are you doing here?"

Alice grinned at the sight of her son, and she wrapped her arms around him. "Hello, Alistair. I've signed up to chaperone for your Open House!"

"Really?" Alistair was surprised to hear this. "That...that's great! You aren't at all nervous about staying at the other school?"

"Of course not!" Alice replied, chipper. "I would love to see this school and this world I've heard so much about. I'm in need of a new adventure, you see? And besides, it's been so long since I've spent time with you,"

Alistair took a moment to study his mother. She seemed...different, somehow. She was acting the same, and she wasn't dressed suspiciously (she was wearing a knit top with an eggshell-blue skirt, and she was draped in a large coat that was probably intended for a man- she normally dressed like this). Something about her just wasn't normal, but Alistair couldn't put his finger on it.

"Would you like to sit with Bunny and me?" inquired Alistair, holding open the door for his mother.

Alice nodded and stepped right in. "I certainly would!"

As Alice entered, Bunny set down the book she was reading and trotted over to meet the woman. "Alice!"

"Hello, Bunny," Alice held her arms out and hugged Bunny. "How are you, dear?"

"I'm fine!" Bunny pulled away, gesturing to the couch. "Come sit with us! How are you?"

"Oh, I've been all right, dear," Alice took a seat on the cushion, smoothing her hair back. "How's your father?"

At the mention of her father, Bunny grimaced. "Oh, um...okay, I suppose. He's been horribly anxious lately, and late to everything! Of course, he's usually late, but more so than normal. I'm worried about him,"

Alice smiled reassuringly at Bunny and placed a hand on hers. "I'm sure he'll be fine. Try not to worry so much, all right?" it was then that Alice began to look uncomfortable, and she fanned herself with her hand. "Why is it so terribly warm in here?"

Alistair couldn't help but roll his eyes. "Professor Rumpelstiltskin. He turns the heat up whenever he's in here, and no one knows why. If you need to take off your coat, there's a coat rack right there,"

"Ah! Of course," Alice stood up and shrugged out of her coat, and Alistair's internal question of what was different about his mother was quickly answered.

"I-!" his mouth dropped open in shock, and he was at a loss for words. "Mother! You...you-!" was all he could manage out.

Alice raised an eyebrow, concerned. "What's wrong?" she looked down at herself, and she realized what Alistair was referring to. "Oh! This?"

Alistair's voice came back in a squeak. " _Yes! That!_ "

"I'm sorry," Alice apologized, reaching out and touching his arm. "I neglected to tell you, didn't I?" she then placed her free hand near the top of her noticeably filled-out midriff, admitting, "I am expecting another child, Alistair,"

There was a long pause, and Alistair slowly sank down into the couch and buried his face in his hands. "Oh, God...why!?"

"Are you not happy?" Alice inquired, sounding sad. "I thought this would be good news..."

Alistair looked up after a moment. "Mother, you aren't married,"

Alice just shrugged. "And? What's that got to do with it?"

Before Alistair could respond, Bunny stepped in. "Alice, what he's trying to say," Bunny began, a little embarrassed to be witnessing such a personal moment between mother and son. "is that customs in Wonderland are very different than they are in Ever After. You see, in Ever After, unwed mothers are seen as...well, 'sleazy', for lack of a better term,"

"Is that all?" inquired Alice. "I appreciate your concern, but the opinions of others will not get in the way of me being a good mother," she sat down beside Alistair and wrapped her arm around his shoulders. "After all, I wasn't married when you were born,"

This statement was true- Alistair never knew his real father. All Alice had ever told him was that his father had a different destiny he had to follow, and therefore, he and Alice were forced to part ways after the birth of their son. Due to this, Alistair figured that was why his mother constantly set up visits with Maddie and the Mad Hatter, so Alistair would have some company. Alistair even wondered if Hatter was his father, but he reasoned that there was no way this was possible.

"Mother," Alistair spoke after a few seconds. "If you don't mind telling me- who was it?"

Alice just smoothed her golden hair back and readjusted her bow. "Just an old friend I got a bit sidetracked with. He knows- it's fine,"


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16:

Friday.

The day had finally come.

Early that morning, a large carriage carrying what were possibly hundreds of bags pulled up in front of Monster High. Headmistress Bloodgood stood outside the doors and waited for the carriage to open, and once it did, she approached.

"Headmistress Nora Bloodgood," Bloodgood introduced herself to the old woman who was loading the bags out of the carriage, holding out her hand for a handshake. "I am the Headmistress of Monster High, and I understand that this is the Ever After High students' luggage for tonight?"

The old woman took Bloodgood's hand and gripped it tightly, shaking it. "Ah, yes! I am Baba Yaga," she released her hand and then squinted at the younger woman. "Nora...I do believe I remember you,"

Bloodgood tilted her head to the side and thought for a moment, and then she gasped in realization. "Oh! I remember, now! You were the one who took me in after my accident when I first arrived to Ever After,"

"Yes!" Baba Yaga embraced Nora in a gentle way. "You're Giles's old flame! He thinks the world of you,"

Nora couldn't help but smile. "Well, I feel the same," there was a pause, and then she cleared her throat. "Um...the bags?"

Baba Yaga nodded, turning back to the carriage. "Right here. This isn't all of them- a few of the students have their luggage with them already,"

"Understandable," Bloodgood responded, taking the first bag that was handed to her.

As the day continued, Cupid found herself tapping her foot anxiously several times that day. During lunch, Lagoona noticed the anxiety.

"Don't you worry, Cupid," Lagoona assured as she sat down at the table. "Everything will be all right,"

Cupid just sighed and stirred her fruit salad around with her fork. "But what if it won't be? What if something goes wrong?"

"How could something go wrong?" asked Frankie, nearly mocking the idea. "We've worked so hard to make sure that everything will go okay. Just stay calm, okay?"

The day progressed, and Cupid tried to think about what Frankie said. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the final bell rang, signaling the end of school.

Cupid nearly ran to the gym, where everyone would meet before making the trek to Ever After High, and she felt as though she could die with fear and excitement. She flung the doors open, and she gazed upon the students who were meeting to go to the Open House. There were _a lot._

"Attention, students!" began Headmistress Bloodgood as she stood on the bleachers to talk to everyone. "Within about five minutes, we will all make our way to Ever After High. They are busy preparing for us as e speak, and they have worked very hard. Please be kind and respectful towards them, as they will be respectful towards you. Understood?" when there were no arguments, Bloodgood continued. "Now, there will be a few areas in the building that are restricted, such as the Headmaster's office, the kitchen, the teacher's lounge, and the basement. When it is 5:30, you will all meet in their cafeteria for dinner, and an hour and a half later, you will gather yourselves together and head back here, where the Ever After students will spend the night. Any questions?"

There was a silence, and Bloodgood glanced at her wrist. "All right, then. Time to go!"

Back at Ever After High, the students were busy at work making the school presentable. Ashlynn paced around nervously, occasionally stopping to glance at the clock.

"Is everything ready, Hunter?" she asked after a few minutes, watching as her boyfriend propped the door open with a stray brick.

Hunter sighed and cracked his neck. "Better be. They're gonna be here any minute, now,"

All of the sudden, a whole slew of forest animals came bounding into the school, and Hunter let out a yell of anger. "Not again! _This_ is why I don't keep the door open! Oh- Ashlynn, help me lure them out!"

While the couple tried to coerce the animals into leaving the school, Raven watched from outside through the door.

"They'll figure it out," she reassured herself, turning away and heading back to the others who were waiting outside.

When Raven noticed that Giles Grimm was the only adult who was waiting with the other students outside, she became concerned. "Hey, isn't the other Headmaster supposed to be greeting the Monster High students, too?"

Giles shook his head, looking sad. "He has work to do. Although..." his voice lowered. "I do believe he's trying to avoid any interaction with the Headmistress,"

"Oh," it occurred to Raven that she hadn't seen very much at all of Headmaster Grimm and that he'd hardly tried to lecture any students about 'following their destinies' this past week. This was concerning, so she glanced across the Tree Path to ensure that no Monster High students were in sight, and she quietly slipped into the building.

As Raven approached Headmaster Grimm's office, she realized that there was no need to knock as the door was already partially open. She pushed gently on the door and stepped inside. "Headmaster Grimm?"

Milton Grimm was sitting at his desk, glaring at a huge notepad while scribbling something down in it. He looked as though he hadn't slept in awhile.

"Leave me be, Raven," Headmaster Grimm commanded, irritation present in his voice.

Raven, however, did not move. "What's going on?"

"Nothing, I'm just very busy," he explained curtly. "Please leave,"

Raven lingered for a moment, and then she turned away and eased out of the room. Before she did, she caught a glimpse of a shattered, framed picture in the wastebasket beside the door: it was the blonde woman from the photo.

"Raven!?" someone was calling her.

She looked up. "Dexter?"

Dexter let out a breath of relief, running up and grabbing Raven by the shoulders. "Thank goodness I found you! You have to get back out there- quick!"

"Why? What's going on?"

As Dexter took her hand and led her down the hall, he turned to look frightfully back at her. " _They're coming!"_

At 2:45 that afternoon, the students of Monster High officially crossed onto Ever After High's grounds.

Headmistress Bloodgood walked ahead of her students and quickly rooted herself to the side of Giles Grimm, wrapping her left arm around him. He accepted the affection and then turned to the sea of students before him.

"Greetings, students!" Giles began, stepping onto a small podium that was decorated in a banner reading, _"Welcome Monsters!"_ "I am very happy to see all of you this afternoon. The young men and women you are about to meet have all been very excited to invite you here, and I hope that all will be well between your student body and their's. Now," the doors to Ever After High suddenly opened, and Giles gestured to it. "I welcome you to Ever After High!"

The Ever After High students had been standing behind the doors, so when the doors opened, the two groups of students met and began to mingle, just as they had done more than a week before. Cupid felt her heart race once more as she watched everyone get along, but she remembered a promise she'd made when she saw Valentine studying the school's structure and lockers by himself.

"Maddie!" Cupid wriggled her way through the crowd until she saw Maddie handing out fliers for her father's Tea Shoppe.

"Come on down!" Maddie said cheerfully, passing out more fliers. "My dad _loves_ meeting new customers!"

Cupid finally reached Maddie and tapped her shoulder. "Maddie, Valentine's here!"

"Hm?" Maddie turned to look at Cupid. "Where?"

"Right..." Cupid squinted through the crowd and caught sight of him once again. "There! With the dark hair and the black jacket. He's looking at some posters,"

Maddie studied him for a moment, and she looked uncertain. "He's really pale. Is he okay?"

"He's a vampire," Cupid explained quickly. "They're very pale. Now, go say hi!"

Obeying, Maddie slipped through the crowd and eventually caught up with him, stepping behind him and chirping, "Hi!"

Valentine stopped, turning around and seeing a young girl standing behind him. "Oh, hello,"

Maddie grinned at him and held out her hand for a handshake. "I'm Maddie! Pleased to meet you!"

Gracefully, he accepted her handshake and introduced himself. "Kieran Valentine, but you can call me Valentine,"

After a moment, she pulled her hand away. "I can show you around if you'd like! Have you ever seen a unicorn as small as a lap dog?"

Valentine was intrigued. "No, I have not!"

"Right this way!" she swung her arm around his and led him down the corridor.

Elsewhere, Cupid met up with her other friends to show them the ropes, so to speak. As she approached, she noticed that Apple was already talking to Frankie and a few others.

"Where do you want to go first?" inquired Apple, holding up a very detailed map of the school. "We can visit our lovely 'Damsels-in-Distressing' classroom, or-or maybe our 'Spells and Hexes' classroom?" when the others didn't answer right away, Apple glanced at the map once more. "Ooh! What about 'Animal Science'? It's a brand new class the school just started offering,"

When Apple brought this up, Frankie was interested. "That sounds like fun! Can you take us there?"

"Right this way!" Apple beckoned the other girls. "We have the most interesting animals, here,"

Throughout the school, lots of classrooms were being explored- except for one. That particular classroom was King Charming's Advanced Wooing and Heroics 101 room, as the door was locked. Daring and Dexter were inside, trying in vain to convince their father to unlock the door.

"Dad, come on!" Dexter pleaded for what felt like the millionth time. "They're not gonna break anything,"

Charming just slammed his desk drawer shut in irritation. "I am _not_ taking any chances! Here," he handed Daring a sign that read, 'this teacher is absent'. "Place this on the door, will you?"

Daring just exchanged glances with his brother, who nodded. "Got it," was all Dexter said, and he ran up to the door and unlocked it.

 _"DEXTER!"_

Dexter ignored his father and opened the door, seeing Deuce and Clawd standing outside the door looking perplexed.

"Are we allowed in here?" Deuce asked. "This was locked earlier,"

"Yeah-" before Dexter could finish, Charming began yelling once again.

 _"DEXTER! I'M GOING TO SHOVE YOU IN THE OVEN AND COOK YOU IN A PIE AND WHEN I SERVE IT TO THE HEADMASTER HE'LL ASK 'WHAT'S IN THIS?' AND I'LL SAY-!"_ King Charming stopped when he saw Deuce and Clawd at the door, and he grinned like nothing was wrong. "Come in, boys!"

Duece and Clawd exchanged worried looks before entering the room. "Is everything all right?" Deuce asked in a hushed tone, pulling Dexter aside.

Dexter appeared to be a little agitated, but all he responded with was, "Yeah! Yeah, I'm good,"

Clawd walked around the room, his eyes scanning the titles of the books on the shelves. "What classes are taught in this room again?"

"Advanced Wooing and Heroics 101," Daring answered as if he'd memorized the names (which he probably had).

"'Wooing'?" repeated Clawd, confused. "Do you mean to tell me that there's an entire class devoted to flirting with girls?"

Daring seemed almost offended. "It's a very important skill! Without a princess, what is a prince? He's nothing!"

"Really?" Deuce muttered under his breath. Daring did not hear.

Just then, another boy entered the room, and shouted, _"OH YEAH!"_ It was not Kool-aid Man, but Heath Burns.

"There you are!" exclaimed Deuce. "Where have you been!?"

"They were blowing stuff up in the science lab," Heath explained, pulling up a comfortable armchair and taking a seat. "I wanted to blow stuff up, too, but a cranky old guy told me to 'piss off'. What's going on in here?"

Clawd flipped through a book and did a strange sort of laugh. "Well, Heath- you'll be happy to learn that there's an entire class here that's devoted to flirting with girls,"

Heath's eyes went wide. "Whoa! That's awesome!" he suddenly placed both of his hands on King Charming's desk, declaring, "You _have_ to teach me!"

Charming's eyes narrowed. "Teach you _what?_ "

"How to flirt, or 'woo' or whatever you call it! I think I'm pretty good at it, but I wanna learn from a professional,"

"No," Charming answered. "My apologies, but you don't go here. Perhaps you can check out a book at the library,"

Heath made a noise of disgust. "Boring!"

Daring had been listening to Heath this entire time, and he couldn't take it anymore. "Please stop bothering my father," Daring requested, annoyed. "I'm sorry, but I think you need to leave,"

There was a long pause, and Heath took a breath. He was clearly upset. "Uh...okay, sorry," Heath turned around and left just as another group of boys was making their way into the room. Just before leaving, Heath couldn't help but turn back and glare at Daring.

He wanted to toast that perfect face and ugly personality.

* * *

 **Ayyy, this is longer than usual! But, a few of you were requesting longer chapters, so I delivered.**

 **My apologies: it took me a while to update this! I had my cousins over this past weekend, and I had a party this past Saturday, so I haven't had much time to write.**

 **Also- I realized this morning that this piece is turning into my most popular story! Thank you to everyone who's reviewed, favorited, and/or followed this story!**

 **Questions, comments or theories? Let me know in a review, and I will try to get back to you if I am able to!**


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17:

 **Warning: towards the end of this chapter, there's slight nudity and a mention of women's menstrual cycles. Please be aware of this.**

It was 3:50 PM- an hour since the Open House had begun.

Cupid and her friends had retreated to a small hiding place inside the staircase. Raven had recently discovered this little place beneath the stairs, and she and the other Ever After High girls turned it into their own little space. No one knew what it had originally been.

The hiding place wasn't too small, however, as it could fit quite a few of them: Cupid, Raven, Apple, Briar, Draculaura, Frankie, and Clawdeen. The seven girls were nestled within on an old mattress that had been left there by someone unknown, talking about what they'd seen.

"How are you girls liking everything so far?" Apple inquired, crossing her legs daintily.

"It's great here!" Frankie gleamed. "You have so many interesting classes and teachers! I can't wait for you to see ours,"

Raven smiled at the statement. "I'm glad to hear that. We were in your library, but I'd love to see more,"

"Can I ask you something?" Draculaura spoke up suddenly. "I have a concern. I hope you don't mind,"

"Not at all!" Apple responded cheerfully. "We're all ears,"

Draculaura took a breath. "Okay, so, when I was in one of the hallways, I noticed that there were all these posters everywhere. They all said stuff like, 'destiny is the greatest conscience of all' or 'following destiny will complete you'. I thought it was really weird. Can you explain what this 'destiny' thing is about?"

At the mention of this, Briar rolled her eyes. "I hoped we wouldn't have to talk about this..."

"Me too," Apple admitted. "The fact that someone had to put up those posters is ridiculous!"

Raven suddenly glared over at Apple. "Please don't start-" Alas, it was too late.

"This entire school has been divided over the prospect of destiny," explained Apple. "Students such as myself who choose to follow the destinies set before us are known as 'Royals', while the students who reject their destinies are referred to as 'Rebels'. Headmaster Grimm has been trying to disband the Rebels ever since _she,_ " Apple jabbed her thumb in Raven's direction. "refused to sign The StoryBook of Legends at Legacy Day,"

Clawdeen quickly put up a hand to silence her. "Hold on- storybook? Legacy Day? Please explain what you're talking about,"

Apple opened her mouth to explain, Raven stopped her. "I'll handle this. See, when you sign the StoryBook of Legends, you're basically saying that you agree to follow in the footsteps of your parents no matter what. Even if the story ends tragically for you, once you sign that book, you're pretty much trapped in a tragic ending and there's nothing you can do about it. That's why I refused to sign: my mother is the Evil Queen, from Snow White, which means that I would have to poison Apple, get defeated by whoever kisses her awake, and then spend the rest of my life in imprisonment- just like my mother,"

Something about this idea made Draculaura especially anxious. "But...why!? Why would you be forced to do something like that!?"

"That's stupid," muttered Clawdeen, recalling what Cerise had told her.

"There's a belief that if we don't follow our destinies, our stories end and we die," explained Briar. "Of course...this might be a myth,"

Apple suddenly spoke up. "It isn't a myth! My mother told me about people she knew who refused to follow their destinies and that they mysteriously disappeared and any trace of their stories vanished! Have you ever heard of 'Reynard The Fox'? 'The Rose Maiden'? How about 'The Marsh Princess'?" when the other girls looked confused, Apple exclaimed, "That's because they didn't follow their destinies! They went _'poof'!_ "

Frankie was skeptical. "Are you sure about that? How do you know they just didn't...leave?"

"You know," Briar began. "There's a theory that they just get banished to Nowhere's Land. Ashlynn told me about that,"

 _Nowhere's Land._ That was on the lake, across from The Mad Hatter's house.

"Oh, please!" Apple scoffed. "We all know that's fake,"

Raven shook her head. "You're wrong- that theory's debatable,"

Briar suddenly grimaced. "Is that...is that because of what happened to Killian?"

The three girls suddenly fell silent. Cupid raised an eyebrow. "Killian? You've never mentioned this before,"

Apple began to get antsy. "That's because we're not supposed to talk about him. Headmaster Grimm forbade it!"

Just then, there was a knocking at the door, and Raven looked up. "Who is it?"

"It's me!" a little voice sang back, and Raven swung the door open. It was Maddie.

Maddie crawled inside and onto the mattress, placing herself in the center. "Hiya, girls! How's it going?"

"Pretty good!" answered Cupid. "How's it going with Valentine?"

"Oh, he's with Lizzie," Maddie explained, retrieving Earl Grey (her pet mouse) from her pocket and letting him crawl all over her legs. "Lizzie Hearts started talking to him and they went to the library together. I think she wants to make patriotic eggs with him,"

Draculaura raised an eyebrow. "Patriotic eggs?"

"Yeah! It's Riddlish for-" Maddie stopped suddenly. "Oh...nevermind. So, whatcha' talking about?"

Cupid took a breath. "Maddie, who is Killian?"

Maddie seemed confused. "Killian?"

"You know," Raven nudged Maddie. "Killian Hook?"

"Oh..." Maddie's face fell. " _That_ Killian,"

There was a pause, and Raven sat up straight. "Maybe...maybe I should explain what happened," she turned to the Monster High girls and began the tale: "Killian Hook was the son of Captain Hook. He was set to sign the StoryBook of Legends maybe a year before we had to, but everyone could see that he was no Captain Hook,"

"Why's that?" inquired Frankie, intrigued.

At this point, Apple took over the story. "Because he was...so _weird._ And not a good weird- he didn't have any friends, he hardly ever talked to anyone, and even the way he moved was unnatural. He walked like a ragdoll, and he always looked like he was stooping down. His younger sister, Maria, said this was because the ceilings in their house were too low and he was too tall, so he constantly stooped everywhere he went,"

"Maria also used to say that, when he did talk, the things he said were incredibly odd," Raven continued. "You know how most people have hobbies and things they do to keep themselves occupied? Well...he didn't. According to Maria and a few people who knew him, all Killian would think about was how it wasn't fair that some people were poor while others were rich. He wanted everyone to be equal, and he wanted everyone to forget their stories and get along. He wrote an entire essay about equality and how Headmaster Grimm was brainwashing everyone, and the essay was rejected and he got kicked out of the class. That was right before..." she trailed off, and she looked at Maddie. "Maybe you should explain what happened. You were there, after all,"

Maddie shrugged. "Well...technically, I wasn't there when it happened, but I was there after the fact," she took off her hat and placed Earl Grey inside before telling the story. "My dad and I had just moved into our house on the lake, and my dad went to our Tea Shoppe and left me home alone. I was going to take a nap when I looked out the window and saw that someone was getting into a boat near the lake. It was Killian- even though I didn't know his name at the time, and I also didn't know that he had plans to explore Nowhere's Land. I fell asleep, and the next thing I know, my dad's shaking me awake and telling me there's a boy who needs our help and that I need to get bandages out of the cabinet. I ran outside with the bandages, and there's Killian lying on the shore with his boat smashed to pieces next to him, his hand sliced wide open. As my dad and I were bandaging his hand, he started babbling about 'a tree of death' and 'a forgotten mountain', and I think he was speaking in tongues at one point. We took him to the hospital, and we learned later that they locked him up in an insane asylum. Killian's been there ever since and his father passed on his destiny to Maria,"

"Can we talk to Maria?" asked Clawdeen. "Where is she?"

"She went home for the weekend," Briar said softly. "She usually does. We don't really know her all that well, she doesn't keep company with very many people,"

There was a pause, and Maddie glanced at her watch. "You wanna look around some more? It's 4:00, and we have dinner in an hour and a half,"

Though Cupid heard herself saying, "Yes, that's a good idea," she felt numb on the inside. She'd never heard of Killian until now- she knew Maria, as Maria often attended sporting events and participated in a fencing class. Was there a reason Headmaster Grimm didn't let anyone discuss Killian? Somehow, Cupid felt as though she had to do something about this.

Further down the hallway, in a quieter area, Toralei and the Werecat twins explored by themselves.

"This is so great!" squealed Purrsephone, looking around. "This is such a pretty building,"

Meowlody seemed to disagree. "Really? I think it's kinda tacky in some places,"

Toralei shrugged. "It's not so bad, but some of these princesses are so disgustingly perfect that I want to vomit. Anything else you guys wanna see?"

Purrsephone scanned the list of classes and room numbers, and she gasped. "Ooh! There's a Beauty Class!"

"That's more like it!" Meowlody nodded. "It's not very far, either. What do you think, Toralei?"

Toralei was about to say 'yes', but she caught sight of a bathroom. "You know what? You go on without me. I gonna go use the bathroom,"

She entered the empty, fancy bathroom and picked a stall. Unfortunately, when she tugged down her underwear, she noticed that her cycle had come a bit earlier than normal.

"That's just great," Toralei huffed, looking around the stall for a possible solution to her problem. She then noticed a box to her left marked, 'Cotton Pad Dispenser' and it didn't appear to be coin-operated. "Aww, sweet!" she turned the handle on the dispenser, only to realize it didn't work. Just her luck.

Just as Toralei was about to wad up some toilet paper as a makeshift pad, a hand seemingly materialized out of nowhere and produced a tampon. "Here you go!"

Toralei yelped and nearly fell on the floor. " _WHAT THE HELL!?_ "

"Whoops! Sorry!" the rest of the stranger's body appeared, and it was the girl Toralei had met in Headmistress Bloodgood's classroom earlier that week: Kitty Chesire. She was hanging upside down from the other stall by just her legs, and as always, there was a huge grin on her face. "Take it! I always have extra,"

After taking a moment to catch her breath, Toralei scowled. "Were you watching me pee!?"

"No, no!" Kitty explained quickly. "I was touching up my makeup and I heard you trying to get that thing to work," she gestured to the dispenser. "Don't bother- they haven't worked in years. No one around here seems to have time to fix these things," she handed the tampon to Toralei. "Have it,"

"Thanks..." Toralei slowly unwrapped the tampon, but she glared at Kitty. "Well, don't watch me!"

"My apologies!" Kitty flipped herself over the other side of the stall and disappeared.

Shortly after this, Toralei left the stall and walked up to the sink, turning the faucet on. In an instant, Kitty appeared next to her.

"So," began Kitty, sitting on the edge of the sink and folding her hands. "Do you like this place so far?"

Toralei nodded. "Yeah, I guess. Do you ever get tired of so many perfect people?"

Kitty shrugged. "I suppose. Things aren't 'crazy' enough around here- for my taste, anyway,"

"Uh-huh," answered Toralei, something close to the ceiling catching her attention. "What's that thing?"

Kitty looked up as well. "What?"

It was a small, furry creature, perhaps a gerbil of some kind. It stared down at the girls with large, golden eyes, and it opened its mouth and began to shriek.

Toralei tilted her head slightly. "It's cute. What's it doing?"

However, Kitty did not answer. She back away a few feet, got down on her hands and knees and then pounced into the air. She reached up and swept the creature down from the ceiling, crushing its body and killing it instantly.

"Stop!" snapped Toralei, shocked. "What are doing!?"

Kitty picked up the creature and held it over the sink, squeezing it with her thumbs. Almost immediately, it deflated like a balloon and a copious amount of green liquid rushed out of its mouth. Right before their eyes, the fuzzy little creature shriveled into a scaly, green rat-like thing.

As Toralei's mouth fell open in shock, Kitty disdainfully tossed the thing in the garbage and rinsed her hands off. "I don't like to kill gremlins," she admitted after a moment. "But this one was calling for the others. Where there's one gremlin, there's a thousand," When Toralei remained silent, Kitty reached over and placed a hand on her cheek. "May I sit with you at dinner?"

Toralei could only nod slowly, and Kitty grinned again. "Excellent. See you there," she took Toralei's orange hand in her pale white one and planted a little kiss on it just before vanishing.

For maybe a minute, Toralei felt as though she could not move. She stared at the remains of Kitty's violet lipstick on her furry hand, and she felt her heart flutter. She didn't want Valentine anymore.

"She's _perfect!_ " she whispered to herself, pressing her hand against her cheek and relishing in any leftover traces of the other girl's scent.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18:

The current time was 5:00.

The library at Ever After High was mostly empty, except for two students who'd wandered inside. Even the librarians didn't seem to be in sight. Kieran Valentine had entered solely for the purpose of reading through a few books, but with his new acquaintance at his side, it didn't seem that would be a possibility.

Kieran Valentine had entered solely for the purpose of reading through a few books, but with his new acquaintance at his side, it didn't seem that would be a possibility.

"You are a _very_ handsome boy," gushed Lizzie Hearts for what seemed like the fiftieth time. "Your eyes are one of my favorite colors, you know!"

"Why thank you," Valentine responded politely. He didn't tire of her- she was very sweet. "Now, uh...where did you say you were from?"

Lizzie sat down at a small table and gestured for Valentine to sit as well. "I am from Wonderland," she explained proudly. "My mother is The Queen of Hearts, and I have the intention of reclaiming the throne after her,"

Valentine looked impressed. "Royalty, I see?" when she nodded, he asked, "And you still have to go to school?"

"Whatever do you mean?" Lizzie raised an eyebrow. "Legally, I have to continue school until I'm 18,"

"And how old are you, now?"

"17,"

Valentine nodded, thinking. "Well...I was just surprised is all. Most of the royalty I've met over the years hired private tutors instead of going to school, but it seems that's not the case here,"

Lizzie just shrugged. "Mother had a private tutor when she was in Junior High, but that was because she stabbed her teacher with her fountain pen!" This wasn't exactly a detail that Lizzie was proud of, but she felt it was important. Her mother, on the other hand, often grumbled about it to this day.

 _"Lazy old bat had it coming," the Queen of Hearts had growled as she recalled the incident to her daughter. "I wonder where he is now? I should behead him,"_

However, when Valentine was only mildly upset by this, Lizzie remarked, "Everybody else becomes disgusted when I tell them that, or they run away. How come you didn't?"

"Oh, believe me- I've seen _worse_!" Valentine glanced over his shoulder quickly before telling his story: "Before I went to Monster High, I was at a school where I saw two boys get into a knife fight,"

Lizzie gasped. "A knife fight!? On campus!?"

"Yes!" Valentine continued. "And it was so bad that the police had to be called. That happened right before I left, though,"

"Wow..." Lizzie sat there silently, completely in awe. There was a pause, and a bell rang up above everything else. Lizzie looked up. "That's the dinner bell- it's 5:30. We'd best be going,"

The cafeteria, traditionally referred to as 'the dining hall', was packed that evening. There were extra tables and chairs, and there was lots of food to chose from as well. The main meal that night was roasted chicken with potatoes, but there was also meat pie, little tea sandwiches, and salad. Cleo and Deuce stood in the center of the line, and Cleo collected a good amount of gravy in the ladle.

"I do hope this is beef gravy rather than chicken," Cleo mused aloud, bringing the ladle up closer to examine it. "Chicken gravy is never nearly as good,"

Deuce looked around a little anxiously. "Um, Cleo, do you have to stare at the gravy right now? I don't want to hold up the line,"

Cleo just sighed. "Don't be silly, Deuce. We can just- _OH!_ " she whirled around in shock, splattering drops of gravy on the stack of plates beside her. " _WHO DID THAT!?_ "

"What!?" Deuce jolted to attention. "What happened?!"

"Someone lifted up my skirt and _touched_ me!" snarled Cleo, glaring at the line of students behind her, a fire in her eyes. "Who was it!?"

There was a snicker closer to the ground, and Cleo looked down to see a very small goat standing behind her. He stopped laughing when he saw Cleo glaring at him, and he began to back away.

With a roar, Cleo flung her plate out of the way and chased after the goat, who bleated an apology that was lost beneath the sound of Cleo's screams. _"YOU DIRTY FARM ANIMAL! I WILL SHOW YOU! DO YOU KNOW WHAT WE DO TO GOATS IN EGYPT!?"_

Deuce just stood there in shock for a moment, covered from head to toe in the plate of food Cleo tossed in his direction, unsure of what to do. After a few seconds, a gloved hand hesitantly handed him a stack of napkins. It was Maddie.

"Um..." Maddie began, at a loss for words. "You...you got a little something on your-"

Deuce quickly shook himself out of his trance, and he handed his plate to Maddie. "Can you put this somewhere? I need to stop Cleo from mutilating that goat,"

"Sure thing," Maddie assured, watching as Deuce ran through the cafeteria doors after Cleo and the goat.

Maddie delicately set down Deuce's plate near the place she'd seen him sit earlier, and she took her own plate and sat with the other girls.

"It's so fancy here!" remarked Frankie, looking around. "And everything's so clean. How does the staff here keep everything this neat?"

Apple was more than happy to explain. "We have a wonderful and very devoted custodial group that knows how to keep everything in shape, especially in here. I wish I could say the same about the girls' locker rooms, but that's a separate issue..." just then, Ashlynn pulled up a chair and sat with the other girls. "Ashlynn! There you are! What have you been doing this whole time?"

Ashlynn looked a bit frazzled as she unwrapped her silverware and gently shooed a bird off her shoulder, but she seemed to be in good spirits. "Oh, Hunter and I have been trying to get the stray animals out of here, and then we were showing the visitors around the Animal Science Classroom! I've been very busy these past few hours,"

Frankie then felt a soft prodding on her shoulder, and she turned to look. It was Ghoulia, who pointed to the chair beside Frankie and looked at her questioningly. "Yes, Ghoulia! This is your chair- Cleo made sure to save this for you,"

As Ghoulia eased into the chair slowly, Frankie took this time to introduce her to the other girls. "This is Ghoulia, she's another friend of ours. Did you meet her last time?"

"No, I don't believe we did!" Apple leaned forward and extended a hand to Ghoulia. "I'm Apple White! Pleasure to meet you, "

Ghoulia stared for a moment, and then she grinned and accepted the handshake. Apple let go after a moment and inquired, "Have you been enjoying the visit?" Ghoulia simply responded with a nod, but Apple felt as though something was off. "I'm so sorry, I don't mean to be rude, but...can you speak English? You just seem awfully quiet,"

When this happened, Frankie's first instinct was to jump in and explain Ghoulia's situation, but she refrained from doing that when Ghoulia pulled out a pen and began writing on a napkin. After a few seconds, Ghoulia pushed the napkin towards Apple.

It read: _"I do not have the vocal cords required to speak because I am a zombie. However, I understand English and I can understand you."_

"Oh!" Apple looked back up at Ghoulia. Ghoulia's skin was strangely discolored, she'd noticed. "Thank you for telling us!"

The boys had their own table that was right beside the girls', and as Clawd took his seat and laid down his plate, he noticed Heath glaring at something farther away.

Clawd raised an eyebrow. "You good?"

"That kid!" Heath exclaimed suddenly, pointing to a boy who was standing several feet away in the dinner line. "I heard his friends talking to him earlier, and do you know what his name is!?"

Clawd looked at the boy. He was skinny and blonde with wide-rimmed glasses. "Heath, he looks harmless. What's the problem?"

Heath tapped his fork nervously. "But they said his name was Humphrey Dumpty! You know, like 'Humpty Dumpty', but he's not an egg! Why isn't he an egg!? It's freaking me out, man!"

"Dear Lord," Clawd groaned, leaning his head in his hands. "Heath, the poem never said he was an egg,"

"But-! Oh, yeah..." Heath thought about it. "Yeah, I guess you're right,"

Just then, two more boys sat down at the table: Hunter Huntsman and Sparrow Hood (whom they'd met earlier, and Sparrow had decided to latch onto the newcomers as friends right away). As Hunter sat beside Clawd, Clawd couldn't help but eye what Hunter was eating: a clump of salad, dry potatoes, and a roll with no butter.

"Are you sure that's all you want?" Clawd asked, concerned. "That doesn't look like very much,"

Hunter didn't look up. "It's fine, don't worry," he appeared slightly paranoid. "I-I had food earlier,"

"Ha! Liar!" Sparrow blurted out obnoxiously. "He's just picky and doesn't like meat!"

Hunter jerked his head up and smacked his fist on the table. "Sparrow, _shut up!_ "

"Hey, hey!" Clawd tried to calm him down. "Don't freak out. My girlfriend doesn't like meat either, but she found other foods to eat, like...that weird white stuff,"

Still a bit agitated, Hunter stood up. "You know what? I'm gonna go sit with Ashlynn. Sorry," he seemed very on edge, but Clawd decided it was best not to pursue the matter any further.

What the students didn't realize was that they were being watched by a pair of malevolent eyes. Farther away, in a mostly deserted and dark castle, the Evil Queen watched the Open House from her magic mirror.

"All is going well," she mused. "They're getting along nicely, everything's peaceful...but not for long!" she turned to Van Hellscream, who was packing a bag behind her. "Have you got everything?"

Van Hellscream nodded. "Yes,"

"And did your friend find a perfect girl?"

"He did,"

The Evil Queen clapped her hands excitedly. "Wonderful! Open the directory and show me!"

Van Hellscream obliged, opening up a thick book titled _'The Ever After High Student and Staff Directory'_ and flipping to a tagged page. "Here!"

Her cheerful demeanor faded when she saw the girl he was pointing at. "Raven!? Fool! That's my daughter! Remember what I made you and your accomplices promise when you got here!?" when he stared at her blankly, she grabbed the collar of his shirt and yanked him towards her. "Raven doesn't get hurt! My daughter is the reason we're doing this!"

"Hey!" Van Hellscream barked, prying her hand off. "This wasn't my doing! And don't forget- you have to fulfill _my_ end of this bargain as well, your majesty,"

There was a pause, and the Evil Queen drew away from him and took a breath. "I see. We just need to pick a different girl," she turned to the directory and flipped through it once more. "No...no...no...definitely not! No...no...ah! Here!" she pointed to a picture of Apple White. "The daughter of my enemy! Perfect! Tell Steel to choose her instead, she's a much easier target and I loathe her as well as her mother passionately. Go quickly!"

Van Hellscream gathered his things and left the room, slamming the heavy door behind him. Now by herself, the Evil Queen let out a malicious but small giggle and sank into her padded throne. "Wonderful," she sighed, lifting a glass of red wine to her lips. "Everything is going swimmingly,"

There was a sudden knock at the door, and she startled a bit. "Who is it!?"

"Your friend!" a male voice called back.

The Evil Queen raised a brow. "Which friend?"

When there wasn't an answer, she snarled under her breath and set her wine glass down. "Naturally, I have to do everything myself," she stood up and swing the door open, only to be faced with a man she hadn't seen in nearly a decade. "Why...Lord Rothbart! Whatever brings you to my castle?"

Rothbart, a tired looking older man with graying, long red hair stood before her with his makeshift, wire crown atop his head. "Greetings, Selene," he began, his voice soft. "I had a feeling you were free. When I saw strange men entering this castle, I knew you had something to do with them. Who are those men?"

Rather than answering, the Evil Queen just glared and spat out, "My name isn't Selene, Rothbart. You know that,"

"Your name is Selene," he told her firmly, stepping into her room with his worn boots squeaking against the metallic floor. "Your name is not 'Mira Shards', it is not 'The Evil Queen'- it's Selene. I know you, I know what you were,"

"Fine," she sighed, flopping down in her throne once more. "Call me whatever you wish. What do you want? Have you come to scold me?"

"No," Rothbart answered simply. "I just have some questions: did you trigger The Great Storm's return?"

The Evil Queen just sighed and sipped her wine. "No, I had nothing to do with it. I have no idea what caused it since I wasn't expecting it for another two years. However, I was just my luck that we landed right beside a community of monsters! Now, I can use that to convince my daughter to follow in my footsteps,"

Rothbart was silent, and then he took a chair to seat himself in front of his old friend. "Selene, this needs to stop, and it has to stop now. Now that our universe is completed, we no longer need to force our children to follow us! My own father forced me to have a child while I was still in my teen years, to produce my first daughter, Odile. And now, Headmaster Grimm is encouraging my younger daughter to become a parent at an early age. I just can't stand it!"

The Evil Queen said nothing, and she slowly sat her wine glass down and re-adjusted herself. "Rothbart," she began, smoothing her dark hair back. "Need I remind you what happened during that night in the woods? When you rejected your destiny?"

"Selene..." Rothbart buried his face in his hands. "Please, I beg you-"

"Lord Rothbart!" she suddenly boomed out, making him jump. "The villain from the ballet and fairy tale 'Swan Lake'! Just as he was about to kill Princess Odette and fulfill his destiny, he became weak and wept! He turned her into a swan forever and allowed her to live, but Odette is forever blamed and used as an example of what not to do for future generations to come!"

Rothbart looked up, incredibly upset. "I couldn't do it! Odette was so helpless!"

"You're weak!" The Queen snapped, hands on her hips. "I am not weak! I will do what's best for my daughter and teach her my ways, like a _good_ parent! You will not stop me," she pointed to the door. "Out! Now!"

Rothbart stood to leave, but as he reached for the door, he looked at her with sad eyes. "This isn't you, Selene,"

" _LEAVE!"_ she screamed, and he obeyed.

* * *

 **OMG, I'm so sorry this is obscenely late! I was very busy this past week and I was also suffering from writer's block!**

 **I'm back, now, but I'll be leaving again on the 15th to go to Ireland. I'll return on the 23rd, but between those dates, you probably won't get any updates from me. My apologies!**

 **Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! As always, if you have any questions, comments, or theories, please let me know in your review!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Before this chapter starts, I want to warn everybody that there is lots of angst ahead. There's also a vomit scene towards the end, but it's not too graphic. Anyway, please read on!**

* * *

Chapter 19:

It was when the conjoined groups of students arrived at Monster High that things started to go south.

The evening began pleasantly, with Bloodgood explaining to everyone that there were lots of games to play in the gym and that there would be snacks in the cafeteria later, but the interactions changed as the night continued. For years to come, a certain group of girls would remember the turning point as the fuming princess who stormed towards them.

"Uh oh," sighed Raven, looking up as she heard the fast clicking of high heels against the floor. "It's Duchess, and she does _not_ look happy,"

Cupid had just finished bowling her first strike in the tiny bowling machine the school had rented for the evening when there was a light tapping on her shoulder. The moment she turned her head, a small but angry hand forcefully struck her cheek, and a feminine voice screeched, "That's for spilling my secret, you little twat!"

There was a stunned pause, and Cupid just stared up at Duchess while holding her stinging cheek. "...Huh?" Cupid managed to get out after a few seconds.

"Don't you dare play stupid!" Duchess snapped, crossing her arms tightly. "You're the reason Headmaster Grimm forced me into counseling sessions! You _promised_ not to tell!"

Before the conversation could get any more confusing, Maddie stepped between the girls. "Duchess, why are you freaking out!? What happened?"

Apple just listened silently, staring at the small, plastic bowling ball in her hands. She swallowed thickly- she knew why Duchess was angry.

"Um, Duchess?" Apple took a long breath, getting the other princess's attention. "I showed that picture to my mother, and she was the one who recognized the woman. She must have talked to Headmaster Grimm, not Cupid,"

Duchess's mouth fell open in shock. "W...what!?"

Unaware of what was happening, the others just watched without speaking or making a sound.

Apple's lower lip quivered only slightly as she continued. "I know that woman is your mother, Queen Odette, and I want to say that I am very sorry that your family's past has to be tainted by her failure,"

"I...I..." Duchess couldn't answer. She just stood there, trembling.

"Apple!" hissed Raven, but Apple continued on.

"I can only hope you possess the intelligence and grace to realize that it is your duty to do what your mother could not," Apple sighed, touching Duchess's shoulder. "Though, I fully comprehend how difficult it is to follow a tragic destiny-"

Raven suddenly clapped her hand over Apple's mouth. "Apple, stop it!"

At the sudden contact, Apple wriggled away and insisted, "I'm just trying to help her, Raven!"

"No!" Raven pointed to something behind Apple's shoulder. "That's not what I'm talking about!"

Apple looked back, seeing that Blondie Lockes was standing a few feet away with a glowing Mirror-Pad in her hands, her eyes wide and her mouth agape. Duchess saw her, too, and she finally broke.

 _"GO AWAY!"_ roared Duchess, breaking into a run towards Blondie. " _DON'T YOU DARE RECORD ME, VULTURE!_ "

Blondie yelped and ran off, and Raven caught up to Duchess, gripping her arm. "Duchess-!"

Duchess stopped, and she became very still. After a moment, her shoulders began to shake, her entire face seemingly cracked, and the tears came quickly. She let out a heart-wrenching, painful sob, and she ran away through the gym doors. The slam of the doors was deafening.

The atmosphere changed as soon as those doors closed, and Apple slowly twisted around to look at the other girls. All she could hear were the conversations around her from various other groups of students.

"What was that!?" Draculaura demanded to know, shocked. "What happened!?"

Apple just stood there, trying to find the right answers. "I...I was trying t-to help," she stammered finally.

Cedar Wood, who'd just joined them moments ago, rocked uneasily on her heels. "To be honest," she began quietly. "Telling Duchess that she should accept death to make up for the fact that her mother didn't die is, well, rather rude of you,"

"I was being helpful!" Apple exclaimed rather suddenly, making the others jump. "You don't understand- none of you understand! I'm being a good friend!"

Ghoulia shook her head slowly and covered her eyes with her hand, making a groaning noise that meant something like, _"I can't believe this actually needs to be debated right now,"_

"Please!" begged Cupid, touching Apple's shoulder. "Please, we can't argue right now. We're supposed to be having fun!"

Rather than staying to argue, Apple did something she would regret for years to come: she left the gym.

No one stopped her from leaving, and she walked out into the hallway with her head downcast so nobody could see the tears building in her eyes. She couldn't even think of a reason why she was crying- perhaps it was because the idea of destiny she'd been made to believe and follow her whole life was now crumbling before her, like the dirt off an ancient mountain.

Apple leaned against the wall, biting her lip and trying to keep her tears at bay. Just when she began to think that she was alone and that she could cry all she wanted, a voice yanked her out of her thoughts.

"Apple?"

She looked up: it was Snow White, her mother. Snow had their suitcase clutched in her hand, and she was watching her daughter with a concerned expression.

"Whatever is the matter?" Snow inquired sweetly, laying the suitcase against the wall and sweeping an arm around Apple. "Were those girls unkind to you, my treasure?"

Apple felt like she couldn't speak- it seemed like she would burst into tears if she did. All she could do was nod her head.

Snow White drew a long breath. "I see," she replied after a few seconds, her voice still just as soft. "Would you like to talk about it?"

Instead of answering, Apple just leaned forward and cuddled into her mother. A bit of self-consciousness flickered within her as she realized that anyone could walk into this hallway and see her hugging her mother as if she was still a child, so Apple kept an eye open. Her mother was very thin and didn't have many soft parts to hug, but the parts she did have were the best.

"Poor thing," whispered Snow, stroking her daughter's golden hair lovingly. "Would you like me to take you home? I'm sure I could arrange such a thing,"

The tightness of Apple's throat loosened, so she cleared it and pulled away from her mother. "No...no, I-I want to stay. Could I just be alone for a while?"

"Dear heart," Snow reached out and placed a cool hand on Apple's right cheek. "Of course, you may,"

When Apple turned away to venture down the halls, Snow's smile dissipated. She looked towards the gym doors with a glare and then walked right up to them.

As the other girls in the gym tried to figure out if they talk to Apple or not, the heavy doors swung open. This time, they were met with Queen Snow White, and there was quite the rage in her eyes.

The girls exchanged nervous glances, but Raven assured them, "Don't worry, I'll talk to her," as Snow White approached, Raven went to meet her. "Hey, Snow. Is Apple all right?"

"You are not to call me Snow," hissed Snow White, her brows knitted and her eyes full of anger. "I do not care what our blood says- you are not my sister, Raven. Now, what did you say to Apple? I would _love_ to know,"

Cupid could only lean her temples into her hands as she listened. This was not going well.

In the cafeteria (or 'Creepeteria' as it was known), fruit punch, various baked goods, and small chip bags were being served. Cleo and Deuce sat near the door, and Cleo was tired and bored out of her skull.

"Deuce," she lamented, leaning against him. "What time is it? It feels like it's been ages!"

Deuce checked his iCoffin. "Uh, it's 7:15. We don't have to go to bed until about 9:30, I think,"

Cleo groaned and flung herself into her boyfriend's arms. "I can't take this anymore! Deuce, hold me- this stress isn't good for the baby,"

"Sure thing-wait, what!?" Deuce nearly dropped her in surprise. "What baby!?"

"Me!" Cleo laid down on him and nearly dug her nails into his back. "I'm the baby!"

Deuce let out a relieved but exasperated sigh when he heard this. "Please, _please_ don't freak me out like that again!"

Just then, Clawd appeared with a cup of punch clutched in his hand, and he placed his other hand on Deuce's shoulder. "You gotta help me,"

Deuce looked up from where he was snuggling Cleo. "What?"

"Heath's taking some other kids to the pool room, but that's off limits. I couldn't convince him not to take them," he stared at Deuce pleadingly. "Please-?"

"Oh, good!" Cleo spoke up suddenly. "Something interesting! Come on, Deuce,"

Clawd was correct. Heath Burns had, indeed, led a group of Ever After High students into the pool area, which had apparently been locked for the night. Yet, when Heath pushed down on the handle, it swung right open.

The six others (Hunter, Ashlynn, Alistair, Bunny, Hopper, and Briar) all followed Heath into the dark pool room as Heath shined his flashlight into the darkness.

"I really don't think we should be doing this," muttered Hopper as he glanced around the dark room nervously.

Briar scoffed at him. "Oh, we'll be fine! Stop worrying, dummy,"

As Heath hunted for a light switch, Ashlynn gasped loudly. "Look! There's something in the water!"

Heath stopped abruptly, and he marched over to the pool. "I have a feeling I know what it is," he leaned over the edge and shined the light in. "All right, young lovers! Move it along! What do you think this is- make out reef!?"

Startled, Gil and Lagoona both emerged from the water at once. "Heath, what are you doing here!?" Gil demanded, clearly very embarrassed. "The pool's off limits!"

"Oh, really?" Heath smirked. "Are you sure about that?"

Lagoona noticed the other students standing behind Heath, and she grimaced. "Oh, Heath! Please, don't tell Bloodgood what we were doing in here,"

Before Heath could respond, Gil swam to the pool ladder and began to climb out. "Tell you what- I'll get some gym mats for you, and you don't tell Bloodgood what you just saw, all right?"

"Deal!" Heath agreed enthusiastically, finally finding the light switch and turning it on.

When the lights came on, everyone in the room suddenly got an eyeful of Gil's nude body, and there was a collective yell of outrage.

 _"HE'S NAKED!"_

"That's it, I'm leaving!" Alistair exclaimed, turning around and tossing his hands in the air. He flung the door wide open, only to be faced with Deuce and Clawd. "Oh, hello,"

Clawd pushed passed Alistair gently, his cup still in his hand. "Heath, it's time to stop- Gil! Why are you naked!?"

Gil, who was hastily tying a towel around his waist, only responded, "Personal reasons," and tossed two large gym mats into the water. "Here you are- some rafts,"

"Gil-! Oh, for God's sake," Clawd shook his head. "Bloodgood's gonna skin you,"

"Tell her I wasn't involved," Cleo swept into the room as if she were dancing. "But I wanted to watch!"

Heath laughed, undoing the laces of his shoes. "That's the spirit! Now, come on!" he grabbed his cup of punch and took a swig, only to make a face. "Yuck! This stuff's nasty. Clawd, is this my drink or yours?"

"I think we got the same thing," Clawd replied as he nervously watched Heath step onto the floating mat. When he nearly slipped, Clawd began to remove his own shoes. "You know what? Let me get on there with you so you don't slip and kill yourself,"

"Aww, thanks, bud!" crooned Heath, holding onto the ledge for support.

When Clawd was safe on the mat, he turned to the other students who were standing and watching. "All right- you might as well get on. Who's first?"

It was not Bloodgood who noticed the bluish pool lights gleaming from beneath the crack in the door, but two students who were wandering the halls at that time.

"Hello, what's this?" Daring Charming mused aloud, raising an eyebrow at the light streaming from under the door. He paused, hearing the chatter and squeals from the other side of the wall.

"Is everything all right?" inquired his companion, Rosabella Beauty, who was hooked around his arm.

Daring then noticed a wrinkled and damp piece of paper beside the door and pushed it with the tip of his shoe to read what it said (he wasn't going to pick it up- who knows how germ-infested it could have been?): _"KEEP OUT"_

He pursed his lips together. "Hmm...it seems we have some rule-breakers on our hands. Rosabella, stay close- I may need you,"

"But-!" Rosabella protested too late, and Daring swung the door open.

"So, did you like the shoes I bought for you?" Lagoona inquired, watching as Ashlynn dipped her now bare feet into the water.

Ashlynn nodded gleefully. "I love them! They're at my dorm, I'm saving them for-"

She was cut off when Daring's voice declared, "All right! I demand an explanation for the breaking of the rules!" his eyes focused on Hopper, and he shook his head disapprovingly. "Hopper, I expected better from a prince such as yourself! Why break the rules this way?"

Hopper rocked back and forth nervously, making the raft send out small waves. "I...I...um," he bit his lip, and then suddenly morphed into a frog and leaped into the water.

When Lagoona saw this, she gasped in horror and began to swim towards where he'd jumped. "Out of the way! The piranhas eat frogs!"

Ashlynn nearly jumped a foot and yanked her feet out of the water. "There are piranhas in this pool!?"

"They don't eat humans, I swear!" Gil tried to reassure, but he went unheard when Lagoona burst back up out of the water with Hopper clutched in her hand.

"Got the little devil!" Lagoona exclaimed, swimming up to Briar and plopping the Frog in her lap.

Hopper switched right back to his human form once he made contact with Briar's skin, and it startled Briar so much that she tumbled backward into the water with him on top of her.

In the midst of all the confusion, Daring just crossed his arms and stared blankly at the scene before him, watching as everyone hurriedly climbed off the mats and Briar and Hopper clambered out of the water. As Briar shook herself off and began to reluctantly wring out her dress, Daring finally spoke. "Who's responsible for this?"

There was a long silence, and Heath slowly raised his hand. "Guilty as charged," he grinned sheepishly.

Daring was not amused. "Do you realize what you could have just done?" he began to scold- he sounded like King Charming. "There are deadly animals in those waters, and you took students- no, royalty into said waters! You should be severely punished for something like this!"

"Look, man," Heath put his hands up, trying to avoid confrontation. "I was just trying to be friendly!" it was then that a strange sense of unease began to spread through Heath's chest, and he coughed.

"Daring," Rosabella came up behind him, taking his arm. "Perhaps we should leave it alone..."

Daring shook his head. "No, no- as a future king, it is my duty to make sure that everybody is in line. Now, you," he turned his attention back to Heath. "Apologize," when Heath didn't answer, Daring became annoyed. "Did you hear me?"

Deuce looked over at Heath, and he realized that something was very wrong. "Heath, are you-?" Alas, it was too late.

Heath attempted to cover his mouth, but his hand instinctively drew away from his lips as his body lurched and he did the unimaginable: he vomited on Daring's shirt and shoes.

Everybody froze. Daring didn't make a sound, and his mouth hung open as he stared at the mess, silently tallying all the damage. Heath shook slightly, and he slowly wiped at his mouth. Not even he could process what just happened.

The silence was broken by a strangled sob behind Briar. Briar turned around, and she gasped. "Oh, no! I forgot- Hopper's emetophobic! Hopper," she took the hyperventilating boy's arm and quickly led him away. "Hey! Hey, everything's okay,"

This seemed to snap everyone out of their respective trances, and Clawd went to Heath right away. "Heath! Oh, my God, Oh my God! I'm so sorry, Daring- Heath! Don't you dare leave! Here, let's go to the locker room, both of you! I have some extra clothes, come on. I am so sorry,"

As Clawd led both equally shocked boys to the locker room, Deuce noticed Heath's cup of punch sitting beside the bench. He picked it up and smelled it, and he was hit with an aroma he was all too familiar with: ipecac syrup.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20:

The sound of the rushing water hitting against the hard wall of the locker room showers was much louder than normal.

Heath just stared at his feet, watching as the steam rose up from his hot skin. That only happened when he felt stressed out, like right now.

Beside him, Daring squeezed a small tube of travel shampoo into his palm and ran his hands through his hair, awkwardly glancing over at Heath every now and again. This was an uncomfortable atmosphere, and not just because they were both nude.

Finally, after several minutes, Daring cleared his throat. "So, uh...did you...do that on purpose?"

Heath almost didn't realize that Daring had asked him something. "Huh?" he managed after a moment, wincing slightly at the remaining traces of acid in his mouth.

"Did you mean to throw up on me?"

"Oh," Heath shook his head. "N-no,"

Daring nodded. "I see..." he rubbed some soap behind his neck, and then spoke once more. "I mean, at first I thought it was some sort of defense mechanism you people have, like how sea cucumbers regurgitate their organs when they're in danger," he laughed a little nervously, but Heath didn't respond.

All Heath could think to himself was, _I puked on this guy. I will always be the kid who puked on a visitor..._

Outside the showers, Deuce walked into the locker room to see Clawd leaning over the sink and rinsing off Daring's ruined vest.

Deuce couldn't help but shake his head in disbelief. "Wow, dude..."

Clawd looked up. "Hmm?"

"You're actually cleaning that up," Deuce explained, trying not to look. "How are you...?"

Clawd waved him off. "Not an issue. I have a lot of siblings- this is nothing new to me. I've been pretty desensitized to this kind of thing ever since my little brother was sick on me during a road trip,"

Deuce nodded. "Ah...which little brother?"

"Clawnor,"

"How old was he?"

"Um..." Clawd tried to think, shutting the water off. "Three, I think. I was seven at the time. God, that was ten years ago- Clawnor's gonna be in high school next year,"

Deuce thought about Clawnor- that squeaky-voiced, rather annoying little guy who loved to watch Casket-ball. Was he really going to be in high school? He still seemed so young. Another thought crossed Deuce's mind, and he realized he needed to let Clawd know what he'd discovered.

"Hey, Clawd?" when Clawd looked up, Deuce cleared his throat. "I checked out what Heath had been drinking, and I think someone slipped him ipecac,"

Clawd tilted his head. "Ipecac?"

"Yeah," Deuce went on to explain. "I recognized the smell. When I was five, my mom made me drink some because she thought I swallowed drain cleaner. It's supposed to make someone throw up, see? I didn't, she'd just spilled it but didn't realize it. It smelled awful to me, and it's something I can't forget,"

"You mean..." Clawd tried to comprehend the new information. "Someone did this to Heath on purpose? But why?"

Deuce could only shrug. "I have no idea. Who was at your table when you were sitting with Heath earlier?"

Clawd placed the wet clothes in the student laundry basket and began to lay out the extra gym clothes. "It was me, Slo Mo, Heath, and then Draculaura showed up. Laura started telling me about some argument that happened in the gym, but then..." he thought back, folding a pair of sweat pants. "Then Gory was there, and she started asking about a project for Mad Science, and she wouldn't leave Draculaura and me alone. Then my drink went missing for a few seconds, but I found it sitting on the floor totally unharmed. I couldn't remember putting it there..."

The showers shut off, and soon, Daring came out from the shower area, tying his towel around his waist.

"Hey," Clawd began, getting Daring's attention. "I put your clothes in the student laundry. They should be ready by tomorrow morning. I rinsed off your shoes, too,"

"You're too kind," was all Daring responded with, gratefully taking the clothes Clawd handed to him.

As Daring removed the towel and began to slip on his shorts, Heath entered the scene slowly, naked and still very embarrassed.

"Hey, dude," Deuce called out softly. "Feeling any better?"

Heath just shook his head and leaned over the water fountain, getting a good drink of water and spitting a bit of it out.

"Um, Heath?" Clawd raised a brow. "Where's your towel?"

Heath lifted his head up, looking slightly dazed. "Towel?"

"I left a towel out for you, didn't you get it?"

"Oh..." Heath shook his head again. "No. I-I'm sorry, I'm so out of it. Can I just have the clothes, please?"

Clawd nodded and handed over a T-shirt and another pair of sweatpants. "Here,"

Heath quickly slipped the clothes on and left without saying a word. As the other boys watched the door close behind him, Daring remarked, "I didn't intend to upset him that much, you know,"

"You're fine," Deuce assured, standing up. "You know what? I'm gonna go follow him,"

Keeping his hand on the row of lockers that stretched down the corridor, Heath walked slowly to the room where most of the boys' would be sleeping for the night. There were two rooms reserved for the boys: the Mad Science room (which had been temporarily gutted of its equipment, for Mr. Hack refused to have any students tamper with his things) and an empty classroom that was used for storage. Heath chose the storage room since he hated the idea of sleeping in the Mad Science room.

His sleeping bag was already laid out, along with his duffle bag of pajamas, toothbrush, and toothpaste. All he wanted to do was bury his face into his sleeping bag and shut everything out- he'd never been so humiliated in his life.

As Heath turned into the doorway, he saw Apple White walking away somewhere out of the corner of his eye, but he paid her no mind.

Deuce had just caught up to Heath, and he was about to try and talk to him, but when he came to the doorway, he held his tongue as watched Heath flop down on a sleeping bag and burst into tears. It was clear that Heath thought no one was there, so Deuce decided it was best to just leave him alone.

Just as Deuce was about to go back, he jumped in surprise when there was a voice behind him. "Is someone in there?"

Deuce turned around, seeing someone he didn't expect to see. "Oh, hello. You're a chaperone?"

"Yes," The Mad Hatter nodded. He was as pleasant as always. "I've been assigned to this room, you see?"

"Okay, well," Deuce glanced quickly behind himself. "My friend is pretty upset right now, and I think he just needs to be alone,"

Hatter raised an eyebrow. "What happened? Perhaps I can help,"

Deuce grimaced. "I-I don't really think that's a good idea-"

However, Hatter did not listen, and he lightly pushed Deuce away so he could see Heath. Heath kept his face pressed into his pillow as Hatter approached. "You all right there, young sir?"

"Go away," Heath muttered, not looking up.

"Hm," Hatter sat down beside Heath, crossing his long legs. "Well, you see- I can't do that. I'm the chaperone for this room, and I'm not allowed to leave any students alone in here. If something were to happen to you and I wasn't here, what do you think would happen to me?"

Heath lifted his head a bit, glaring. "Something already _did_ happen,"

"I am aware," Hatter responded simply. "You were in the pool room unattended, and you were sick on one of the Charming boys," when Heath looked shocked, Hatter clarified. "Alistair told me,"

Heath sat up quickly, and he scowled at Hatter for what seemed like a long time. After a moment, Heath hissed in a low voice, "I wanna fight you,"

"That's impossible, I would destroy you," Hatter asserted firmly. "But that's not what I'm here for. Now, tell me- what, exactly, has you so bothered?"

There was a pause, and Heath shook his head quickly. "I can't-"

"Yes, you can,"

Heath looked back up, and his eyes suddenly filled up with tears. He hid them and cried out, "They're gonna laugh at me, now! They always do!"

Hatter reached out and touched Heath's shoulder. "Who will?"

Heath began to sob. "Everybody! I'm such a joke to them sometimes! I hear them trash-talking me, saying how cocky and dumb I am, and _this_ is gonna give them something else to talk about! I'm done for..."

"No, no," Hatter assured gently. "No, you aren't, don't talk like that. You cannot let those who do so little for you control so much of yourself,"

Wiping at his eyes and looking away, Heath said nothing. Hatter started to stand up, but Heath blurted out, "No!"

Hatter stopped. "Yes?"

"C-could I-" Heath swallowed, fidgeting with his hands "Could I...have a hug, maybe?"

Hatter had to laugh. "Of course,"

As Hatter extended an arm and hugged Heath close, Deuce watched from the doorway in silence. He had no idea Heath felt that way- sure, Cleo often talked about how she thought Heath was 'a few tools short of a toolbox' (her words) and Deuce had been there in gym class when Bram openly mocked Heath for thinking he could get any girl. Did those insults really bother Heath that much?

Although, it was refreshing to see an adult who understood. The Mad Hatter didn't really seem 'mad' at all- just delightfully eccentric, but not insane by any means.

Deuce turned away and walked back down the hallway, wondering if maybe he should tell his friends what he'd heard.

Much farther away, in another part of the school, Apple wandered around. She didn't know where she was going, and she couldn't find it in herself to care, either. Her friends were probably still angry with her, and despite the fact that they could be very forgiving, she didn't want to confront them. Was she in the wrong for wanting what was best? As she pondered this, another thought crossed her mind: what if what she thought was best actually turned out to be harmful?

The sounds of whispering interrupted her thoughts, and she picked up her head, her brow furrowing. She thought she was alone- was someone else here?

Apple followed the whispering, and a pair of open doors, a staircase leading downwards, and a sign above the doors reading, _"The Catacombs: Do Not Enter"_ caught her attention. As she peeked down the stairs, she saw the last person she'd ever expected to see sitting on those steps.

"Helga Crumb!?" Apple exclaimed in surprise. "What are you doing down here!?"

Helga had been whispering to someone unseen, but when she heard Apple, she bolted away into the darkness. Apple, not sure what else to do, ran after her.

"What's going on?" Apple called out, the clicking her heels echoing through the dark corridor. "Helga, is everything all right down here?"

Why would Helga Crumb of all Ever After High students be down here alone? And who was she talking to? Maybe it was her cousin, Gus. But what could they want with this place?

Apple began to realize that she'd made a mistake when the lights gradually began to dim. Her heart began to pound, and a little voice within her cried, _"Get out, get out, GET OUT!"_

She broke into a run towards the exit, but that was when everything went completely black. Apple yelped and nearly fell, but a pair of firm, large hands caught her.

It comforted her, for maybe a few seconds, until a voice whispered huskily, "Don't you give me any trouble, now..."

 _Slam._ They dropped her, and everything seemed to vanish.

Moments later, she began to feel again. She felt a chill that started in her palms and then eased up to the center of her back, making her shiver. After a few seconds of lying completely still, Apple slowly pushed herself up on her hands.

There was only a bit of light that shone from beneath the door, and it illuminated her surroundings only slightly. It was a storage closet, and there was a large box in front of her filled with some sort of fabric. There were also several tools on the wall, but Apple didn't take the time to study them. Instead, she began to feel around for a door handle.

She found it and feverishly began to turn it in whatever direction she could think of. Her own breathing rang in her ears- it was loud, the loudest thing she'd ever heard. She began to wonder if it was even her breathing or something else.

Finally, the door gave way, and Apple tumbled out onto another hard and smooth surface. There was only a moment where she could breathe, and when it was over, she heard a voice.

"Apple!?"

It was Darling Charming. There were footsteps, and then Apple felt herself being turned over. A pair of arms wrapped around her shoulders and a hand stroked her hair.

"Whatever happened to you!?" Darling's voice was shrill with anguish. "You-you're positively bruised! Why look at your legs!"

Apple got another breath, and she slowly opened her eyes. "Wha...what's wrong with my legs?" she managed to sit up, and that was when she saw her legs. They were bruised, and they were bruised _badly._

Darling drew Apple closer, tucking a finger beneath her chin and looking her in the eyes. "Apple, who did this to you?"

"I..." Apple's breathing hitched, and she winced in pain. Her sides felt especially sore. "I have no idea,"

Something fell out of her pocket, and it made a 'clink' sound when it hit the floor. It caught Darling's attention, and she reached down to pick it up.

It was a rather large pin, with Monster High's crest printed on it.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21:

It had been two hours, and Apple White had not returned. Snow White paced the floorboards of the room she was chaperoning, stopping to stare out the door window every now and again. Raven Queen could no longer stand to see Snow this way, so she abandoned her sleeping bag and went up to her.

"Hey," she started, watching as Snow stopped in her tracks. "Would you...would you like me to help look for her?"

Before Snow could respond, Draculaura stepped in. "I'll show you two around the school so you know where you're going. She may have decided to sleep in a different room,"

Snow sighed. "Impossible. I have all her things," she turned to the other girls and announced, "I will be back, girls. For now, I leave Ashlynn Ella in charge,"

"What!?" Ashlynn bolted upright from her sleeping bag. "Me!? Why me!?"

Shortly after Snow left the room with the two girls, Cerise entered the room with Ramona at her side.

"Please?" Cerise begged, gazing at her sister pleadingly.

Ramona rolled her eyes. "For the last time, no. Dad said no, so we should listen to him,"

"Dad's not here!" Cerise protested. "Besides, what's the worst that could happen?"

The sisters glanced over in the direction of the two she wolves laying by the window, and Ramona reluctantly gave in. "Fine. Let's ask,"

Clawdeen leaned on the bookshelf behind her, braiding Howleen's hair into dreadlocks. The scent of two other wolves hit her, and she looked up. "Cerise! There you are! Brocko was looking for you,"

Cerise felt her face heat up. "H-he was?"

"Yeah, maybe you'll see him at breakfast in the morning," Clawdeen's eyes wandered to Ramona, and she tilted her head curiously. "Who's this?"

"I'm Ramona," Ramona reached forward and shook Clawdeen's hand. "I'm Cerise's sister,"

"Oh!" Clawdeen took a moment to study the two girls. "I see the resemblance. You wanna sleep here with us?"

Cerise couldn't stop the smile she felt forming on her face. "We were about to ask that,"

As Cerise and Ramona both laid out their sleeping bags, Howleen asked, "Why do you guys only have fur on your ears?"

"'cause we're hybrids," explained Ramona, brushing through her hair and stretching her legs out. "Mom's a human, Dad's a wolf,"

"But Dad has a human form," Cerise went on, keeping her voice low. It worried her how loudly Ramona was talking, as Cerise had to be secretive about her heritage. "He isn't like you, where it's a combination of human and wolf,"

Clawdeen nodded understandingly. "I get it. So he's a Wulver?"

Ramona raised an eyebrow. "A what?"

"A Wulver," Clawdeen went on, releasing Howleen's hair. "A wolf that can transform. You see, most of the wolves here at Monster High are Werewolves, meaning that we're kind of a mix of both person and wolf. But, a Wulver can shift between the two forms,"

"Huh," Ramona brushed a finger against her own fuzzy ears. "So...we're werewolves, I guess," she turned to her sister. "You hear that, Cerise? We...oh," she noticed that Cerise had fallen asleep already. "Oh, well,"

In the room nearby, the boys were getting ready to sleep as well.

"What is up with this floor?" Hunter wriggled around a bit and grimaced. "It's all lumpy and weird, and-" he jolted in shock. "Ah! Something moved!"

Clawd glanced up from his bag, and he tried to stifle a laugh. "Um, dude? I think you're sitting on Invisibilly,"

Hunter shot up right away, and Billy rolled away and gasped for air. " _FINALLY!"_

The nearby boys burst into laughter, and Deuce tried his best to wipe at his eyes. "Oh, gods. The things that happen here..."

"Boys?" It was their chaperone, Hatter. "Is everyone here for the night?"

Dexter sat up and thought about it. "Looks like it. No one's missing, right?"

"No- wait!" the realization hit Clawd. "Jackson and Holt aren't here,"

"I see," Hatter remarked, turning to look towards the door. "Maybe-"

Before he could finish, the door swung open suddenly, and a bewildered Jackson stumbled in. There was a pair of flashing, light-up Sketchers on his feet.

"Why am I wearing light-up shoes!?" Jackson demanded to know, quite overwhelmed.

Deuce couldn't help but snicker. "Whoops, sorry, dude. Holt was wearing those earlier. We thought he was gonna take them off,"

Jackson huffed and dropped down, untying his shoes. "Damn it. Where did he even get these?"

"Is it true that you and your brother share a body?" Dexter inquired as he watched Jackson remove the shoes.

"Hmm?" Jackson rooted through his duffle bag and pulled out some clothing. "Yeah, and he does all kinds of crazy things. This isn't even the weirdest thing he's done,"

When Jackson said this, Heath picked his head up and had a thought. He'd been quiet for the past few minutes, but he finally decided to speak. "Jackson," he covered his mouth, trying to contain the smile. "Do you remember when...?"

"When what?" Jackson saw the look on Heath's face, and he had a feeling he knew what he was referring to. "Oh, when Holt dyed the hair on my favorite action figure black with shoe polish and then hid it in Mom's dresser so I wouldn't know?"

Both of them broke into laughter, along with a few others. Daring stared in shock. "He didn't! How old were you!?"

"Seven, I think," Jackson shook his head, still laughing. "My God, that doesn't even compare to-"

As if he knew what Jackson was referring to, Heath cracked up again. "I'll never forget!"

"Holt is so untidy, even when he was a little kid," Jackson began to explain, trying to contain himself. "He used to leave his things on my side of the dresser all the time, and I got so frustrated one day that I took his brand-new X Men figures and tossed them out our window!"

Everyone else laughed and laughed, but Daring and Dexter were both in shock. "Out the window!?" Dexter exclaimed. "He must have really irritated you!"

"Oh, come on!" Clawd gestured towards the Charming boys. "You can't tell us that you guys always have gotten along,"

Daring tried to explain. "Well, you see-"

"Daring," Dexter cut in, a smile spreading across his face. "Do you remember...?"

Daring stopped. "What?"

Dexter covered his mouth and started chuckling. "The autograph book-"

There was a pause, and then Daring gasped in realization. "Of course! How could I forget!?"

As the two brothers started laughing, Heath pushed himself closer to listen. "What happened? Tell us!"

After a moment, Dexter sat up and wiped at his eye. "Before we were in high school, there were these things called autograph books that were all the rage. Basically, you would go around with it to people you knew and get them to sign it, and it was sort of a game to see how many signatures someone could get. Anyway, I saved up all my allowance to buy a really nice one that had a blue cover stamped in gold,"

"I was so jealous," Daring continued. "You see, even though we are royalty, our parents would only gift us a small amount of money each week. Dexter was always very sensible and saved his money, while I had a bad habit of spending my money on the worst things,"

"Like what?" Heath wanted to know, intrigued.

Daring tried to think. "Oh, useless things. Pencils that were square instead of round, dragon breath tablets, potions that turned items of clothing different colors, and I don't even know what else,"

Dexter continued. "The day after I bought my book, I left it on Daring's nightstand so he could sign it,"

"He should never have left me alone with it," Daring chimed in.

"When I went to get it back the next morning, I flipped open the first page, only to see-" Dexter stopped, taking a long breath to stop himself from laughing once more. "He'd written, ' _You are salty, buttered, and ready to charge into the mouths of moviegoers'_ on every single page- in _Gryphon's_ ink! That's the worst kind of ink because It's so runny and it constantly bleeds through paper! Needless to say, he ruined my autograph book,"

The boys who were listening all gasped in surprise and laughed. "Wow!" Clawd leaned his head into his hand, still laughing. "What did you do?"

"I was so angry," Dexter admitted. "I didn't talk to him for a week! But then, Easter came along and our mother bought both of us autograph books, so that was the end of it,"

 _Easter!_ Jackson thought. The Fairy Tale people celebrated that holiday?

"See, that's nothing I'm not used to," admitted Clawd, lying flat on his front while propping himself up with his elbows. "Stuff like that happens a lot in my house,"

Daring turned to look at him, interested. "Oh, really? How many siblings do you have?"

Clawd thought about it. "Nine," he answered finally. "Not counting me. Two older brothers, one older sister, two younger sisters, and three younger brothers,"

"Wow!" Dexter gasped. "Ten kids!? That sounds insane!"

"You bet," Clawd responded. "Things do get pretty crazy. Once, my younger brother poured juice all over my laptop, so to get back at him, I coated part of the wood dining room floor in castor oil and called him down for dinner,"

Daring's mouth fell open in shock. "What happened!?"

"He slipped," Clawd explained. "And he crashed right into the glass of our oven door and broke it. He cried, and I had to give my parents my allowance money to pay for the broken glass,"

Deuce looked horrified. "When was that!? How old were you!?"

"Oh, that was a month ago," Clawd answered nonchalantly. He turned to a group of younger boys gathered near the back of the room and called, "Isn't that right, Howldon?"

Clawd's fifteen-year-old brother whirled around, eyes wide. "What did you tell them!?" when Clawd couldn't stop laughing, Howldon stood up and tossed a pillow in his direction. "Answer me!"

"If you throw another pillow at me, I'll tell them about the time you gave yourself a mohawk!" Clawd warned, still laughing. "And I have _pictures_!"

When Howldon acted like he was going to march on over there, Hatter called out, "Boys, quit fighting and get to sleep!"

Howldon puffed out his chest and acted like he was going to say something, but one his friends snapped, "Sit down!"

The laughter eventually died down, but when it did, something else happened.

"You did what!?" a voice yelled from an isolated corner of the room. "Ipecac syrup? What the hell is wrong with you, Bram!?"

The room went dead. Deuce's head snapped in the direction of the yelling, as did Clawd's. In the corner, Valentine was standing up and glaring daggers down at Bram, who honestly looked quite shocked.

"I was trying to help you!" Bram attempted to justify after a few seconds, but Valentine was having none of it.

"By making someone sick!? I don't think so, you trick-ass bitch!"

Hatter looked up from the tea he was drinking, looking irritated. "Language!"

It was then that Clawd remembered what happened with his cup of punch, and what happened to Heath, and he put two and two together.

"Bram," Clawd started, his brow furrowing. "Did you try to slip me Ipecac?"

Bram went silent, trying to think of a proper response. "W-well, that's what happens when you pick on vampires who don't deserve it!" he answered finally, crossing his arms.

"Yeah!?" Clawd's rage started to boil over. "Well, _I_ didn't get affected by it! Heath did!"

Heath jumped in alarm, and then slowly sank into his sleeping bag, pulling a pillow over his face. Bram looked at him in surprise.

"Really!? But...how!?"

"He picked up my drink by mistake," Clawd showed his canines threateningly. "Do you even know what you did!?"

Bram stood up and pushed past Valentine, sneering down at Clawd. "Pity! I would never intentionally embarrass Heath. He does a good job of doing that himself!"

"That's enough!" Hatter cut in when Heath's flames burst and he started to get up. "You- sit down! And you," he turned his attention to Bram. "Stay right there and I will contact your parents! I'm sure they'll be very disappointed to learn that-"

" _I DON'T HAVE PARENTS!"_ screamed Bram, swinging and punching Hatter in the shoulder, hard.

Hatter stumbled backward, and when Bram hissed and bared his teeth, Hatter reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a small revolver, pressing it against Bram's cheek.

"Don't move," Hatter warned, his voice suddenly low and filled with rage.

Everything seemed to stop. Everyone stared at Hatter, all wondering if he would actually shoot Bram.

After a moment of stunned silence, Bram slowly put his hands up and took a step back. Hatter grabbed him by the shoulder and shoved him back down on his sleeping bag.

"I've never had to threaten anyone like that in my life," Hatter spoke slowly, but articulately. "Lucky for you, I took my medication earlier, but I am still not afraid to do what I have to do," he leaned into Bram's face, whispering, "Please, for your own good, do not anger me again,"

He turned away briskly on his heel and slipped his revolver back into his pocket, sitting back down at the desk and re-opening his book. The silence continued, and everyone mutually agreed that it was time to go to sleep.

* * *

 **Hi! Yes, I've finally updated after more than a week. How long has it been? Ten days? Sorry about that!**

 **I recently returned from my trip to Ireland! It was wonderful- I visited Dublin, Cork, and Killarney. It's a beautiful country!**

 **But, yeah, now that I am back, I will be updating more frequently. I am going to community college on September 5th, but I only have classes on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, so you'll be seeing a lot of me!**


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22:

It was 9:50, which was way past curfew. Draculaura had been showing both Queen Snow White and Raven around the school so they could find Apple White. Yet, there was still no sign of the young princess.

As they'd walked through the halls, Draculaura couldn't help but stare at Raven and Snow while she pointed things out to them. Earlier, she'd heard Snow White mention that she and Raven were sisters, though Snow was an older woman. How did that work? The two didn't look as if they could be related, although Draculaura had been wrong about that kind of thing before...

"There are bathrooms down that hallway," Draculaura pointed to each place she described. "And then there's another hallway that has a passageway to the girls' locker rooms. Maybe Apple went to one of those places?"

"I think we should split up," Raven suggested as she studied both hallways. "Snow, do you think you could check the bathroom while we check the locker room?"

Though Snow was usually annoyed when someone referred to her using her informal name, she ignored it this time and answered, "Yes, let's do that. If we are unable to find Apple, I will send a search party for her,"

Draculaura tried to assure that sending someone else would not be necessary, but Snow had already made her way and down the hall. Now alone, Raven and Draculaura went off to look.

As they opened the locker room door and stepped inside, Draculaura looked back over at Raven and took a breath. "So, um...how do you know Snow White so well?"

"What do you mean?" inquired Raven, glancing around the corner to a cluster of lockers.

"Well," Draculaura tried to think of a way to explain her thoughts. "It just seems like...you know, that you would stay away from her, seeing as she was your mother's enemy and all,"

Raven waved her off. "It doesn't matter to me. After all, Snow is my half-sister,"

 _Half-sister!_ "How is she your sister?"

"We share the same father," explained Raven. "That's something a lot of people don't realize. My parents got married when my mom was 18 and my dad was 36, and my dad already had Snow from his first marriage. She was the same age at the time,"

"Wow!" Draculaura tried to picture what that must have been like. She had a stepmother herself, and while her own stepmother was young for a vampire, they weren't close in age. Draculaura couldn't even imagine her father marrying teenager- it seemed like such a foreign concept. "That's crazy. Not to be nosy, but how's your relationship with her?"

Raven only sighed. "Well, as you may have noticed, the two of us don't exactly share a 'loving sisterly bond'. Since she and our father had a falling out when mom poisoned her with the apple, I actually didn't meet her in person up until rather recently. My dad was too afraid of my mom to punish her for anything, but Snow thought he was choosing my mom over her. Cue arguments, Snow running away to marry the man who kissed her, and a full-scale war that went on until I was six. Mom got taken away, stripped of her royalty and locked up, and Dad's cared for me on his own ever since. So...yeah, that was my life's story. Thanks for listening," she glanced into the shower area of the locker room. "Apple's not here,"

Draculaura thought over what she'd heard as she pushed the door to the hallway open. There was lots of family drama that went on at Monster High (Cleo and Nefera's constant fighting, the weekly arguments the wolf siblings got into, and the recent rumors that Gil had run away from his controlling parents and was now living on his own), but Raven's story took the cake!

It was then that the sound of frantic yelling met the ears of both girls, and both of them realized who it was: Snow White. Without any hesitation, they ran down the hall to see what the matter was.

Draculaura flung the bathroom door open, and she stopped to take in the scene before her.

Apple White sat on the edge of the sink, her limbs bruised up and her makeup dripping down her pretty face. Snow had her daughter locked in her arms, petting her head and looking her over with much concern. Darling stood nearby with an anxious expression, holding a cluster of damp paper towels.

"Who would do this!?" sobbed Snow White, rubbing her daughter's arm and shaking her head. "Who would attack my poor princess!?"

Raven rushed over immediately. "What happened!?" Apple didn't respond to Raven or even acknowledge her, so Raven turned to Darling. "Darling, what happened!? Do you know!?"

Darling gave Draculaura a strange sort of look, and she simply placed something in Raven's palm without saying anything. Raven's brow furrowed, and she stared at what Darling had given her.

"...what?" Draculaura asked uncertainly, a knot forming within her. When Raven unfurled her hand and revealed the pin, Draculaura's mouth fell open. _"No!"_

Lighting flashed across the dark sky, and the clouds began to darken with a warning of rain. A large wolf scurried up the mountainside, an animal carcass clenched in his jaws.

The wolf reached the mountain's flat surface and threw the carcass down, beginning to devour it. While he turned his back, another wolf approached.

"Hello, Isengrim,"

Isengrim knew the voice, and he lifted up his head and grinned smugly. "Hello, Lupine. Why have you interrupted my evening meal?"

Lupine placed her shimmering paw forward on the stones. "I have come to defeat you, once and for all. The commoners can no longer live in fear of you, and the heroes cannot kill you. I am the only one who can put a stop to you,"

"You wish to defeat me?" Isengrim threw his head back and let out a bellowing laugh. "It is to laugh! Lupine, I am your mate. It is _you_ who must submit to _me,"_

At this, Lupine's lips curled back in a snarl. "No! You are wrong! This is my land- I am the Queen, and you _will_ bow to me, even if it means I must kill you!"

Isengrim snarled right back, and he kicked the carcass down the slope of the mountain. "Then so be it!"

He lunged at her, and she attacked his neck. The wolves wrestled on the ground together, biting, scratching, barking- until Isengrim threw Lupine against the hard ground with a 'thud'.

As Lupine startled at the sudden force and struggled to her feet, Isengrim strode to the queen and loomed over her. "Submit," he commanded.

Lupine held her head high, another growl rising from her throat. But, then, she saw something standing behind Isengrim, and she screamed, _"IOLANTHE!"_

There was a flash of white light and a loud bang.

Cerise awoke with a start, gasping and panting, her eyes wide. She sat up, trembling from the strange dream she'd just had, but something else soon demanded her attention.

Many of the other girls, including Clawdeen and Ramona, were gathered in the center of the room, where Ashlynn showed them all something on her Mirror-pad. It appeared to be a Mirror-call with Raven.

"Headmistress Bloodgood is issuing a lockdown," Raven was saying. "Ashlynn, because you are the chaperone, you must lock the door to the room,"

Ashlynn stood up and locked the door. "Done!"

"What's going on?" Cerise asked Howleen in a whisper.

Howleen just hugged her knees, looking worried. "Something happened to a girl from your school, and everyone's freaking out,"

In the boy's room, the phone in the corner began to ring, waking several of the sleeping boys.

"Someone answer the phone, please," mumbled Clawd from where he was buried in his blankets.

Deuce sat up and carefully removed his eye mask, feeling around for his shades and slipping them on. He stood up and leaned over the desk, only to see that Hatter was still very much asleep.

"Hey," Deuce prodded Hatter with his foot. "You're supposed to answer that- you're the chaperone,"

Hatter didn't wake up, the phone continued to ring, and Deuce could no longer stand it. "Fine, I'll answer it. Could someone wake him up?"

Alistair yawned, rubbing his eye. "Sure, sure," he leaned over the desk and shook Hatter. "Wake up!"

Hatter jerked his head up, blinking. "Alice?" he said to no one.

Alistair's brow furrowed. "What? No- it's me, Alistair,"

There was the loud clicking of a door locking, and Deuce ran to the room's windows. "Close the blinds!"

This seemed to wake Hatter up completely. "What's going on?" he asked, standing up.

"It's a lockdown, and it's not a drill!" Deuce explained hastily, slamming the blinds shut. "Bloodgood just called, and something bad happened,"

Heath looked up, worried. "Like what? Did something happen to the girls?"

"Bloodgood didn't say," Deuce answered, sitting back down on his sleeping bag and leaning against the wall. "But, we just have to stay here with door locked,"

Hatter nodded approvingly. "Good. Sit tight, everyone,"

The boys sat in the darkness silently, until Bram scoffed, "It was probably nothing. There was a lockdown a month ago because some girl fainted!"

Brocko, who was lying nearby, lifted his head and snarled. "That 'some girl' was my sister,"

Before another argument could start, Hatter's voice broke in. "Boys," he began, sounding exasperated.

The sound of a loud ambulance siren silenced everyone as flashing lights shone through the blinds. There was a pause, and Deuce stood up and parted the blinds slightly.

"Well?" asked Clawd, his voice full of worry.

Deuce's only response was, "Something _really_ bad happened,"

* * *

 **Hi, again!**

 **Yeah, sorry this update took a bit long, and that this chapter is shorter than the others. I was suffering a bit of writer's block, and I'm also a bit tired.**

 **I hope you've been enjoying this story! I just checked my stats recently and realized that somebody actually unfollowed this story (or so it appears). This has never happened to me before, and I'm really confused? I apologize if there was content that you didn't agree with, but...damn. Sorry, that's just the first time I've ever seen that happen on here.**


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23:

Apple had never seen an ambulance up close before.

When the worlds collided, she'd seen a few ambulances and police cars driving around and found them interesting. Bright, flashing, horseless carriages! What a time to be alive.

Yet, now that she was finally seeing the interior of one of these marvelous beasts, she couldn't feel excitement or wonder. There were strange men all around her, feeling her pulse, asking her questions, taking notes, and she wanted them to leave. Were they trying to help? Her mind was so fuzzy.

Then, the ambulance doors closed, and Apple felt the comforting hands of her mother.

"My dear little princess," Snow's voice shook as she held her once more. "Whoever did this will pay dearly, I promise,"

There was only one problem with that: Apple had no idea who had attacked her, and she didn't want to think about it. At the moment, all she could do was tuck her head beneath her mother's chin and curl against her chest.

Within the school, the students clambered to the windows to see what could be happening. The girls only knew what Raven had told them over the Mirror-pad: Darling had discovered an injured Apple in one of the hallways. The ambulance was for her, to take her to the hospital. The only piece of evidence they'd seen so far was a small Monster High pin.

"But who did it!?" Ashlynn paced around the room, her brow knitted in worry. "Who would hurt Apple like that!? It doesn't make sense,"

"It makes a lot of sense," mumbled Cleo, filing down her nails.

Ashlynn stopped pacing, and everyone stared at Cleo.

"...What do you mean?" Frankie asked after a few seconds.

Cleo sat up and leaned a hand against her hip, raising an eyebrow. "Well, come on! Think about it- Apple's popular, beautiful, blonde, and...smart, somewhat. Who wouldn't want to smack her? I do,"

Enraged, Briar shot up from her own sleeping bag. "How can you say something like that!?" she demanded, clenching her fist. "Do you not understand what happened here!? A girl got attacked!"

"Oh, boy," Cleo gave a dramatic sigh, rolling her eyes. "Why don't you go back to sleep for a couple of years?"

Before Briar could retaliate, Clawdeen stopped both girls. "Girls! This is serious! We can't argue like this," she inhaled through her nostrils to control herself; she felt as though she were yelling at her little siblings. "Look, this is scary for everyone, and not the good kind of scary. What we need to do now is just stick together, or at least try,"

The loudspeakers began to crackle, and Bloodgood's voice rang out from above: "You may now unlock the doors. Please be cautious, as emergency vehicles still have not left the premises. Thank you for your cooperation,"

Nora lifted her finger off of the button, groaning and sinking into her chair. "Oh, God! Why did this have to happen!? Why couldn't I foresee this!? This is my fault..."

"Don't blame yourself," Giles laid a comforting hand on the woman's shoulder. "Things like this happen sometimes,"

"But why did it have to happen here!?" Nora cried, covering her face. "I just can't understand it..."

There was a long pause, and then the phone began to ring. "I'll answer that," Giles assured, seeing that Nora had handled enough responsibility for the night. He picked up the phone. "Hello?"

A deep, feminine voice on the other end said, "The other shoe has dropped,"

The doors unlocked, and Raven, Darling, and Draculaura met up with the other girls to explain what happened. Once they'd done all the explaining, Draculaura suggested going to the hospital to visit Apple.

So, at about 10:30 PM, Draculaura drove herself and the other girls to the hospital. No one had given them permission to leave, but because of all the confusion, they drove away unnoticed.

The next thing the girls knew, they were in an empty and chilly waiting room in the hospital, waiting anxiously for news about Apple. It was deadly quiet.

"What's happening to Apple in that room right now?" Ashlynn asked in a timid voice after several moments of silence.

Frankie tried to distract herself with a magazine but answered nonetheless. "They're giving her a checkup, to try and figure out what could have happened to her,"

Briar looked around the waiting room, her brow knitted in worry. "I don't trust this place. They should have taken her to a healer,"

"A healer?" Clawdeen repeated, cocking her head to the side. "You people don't have plain old doctors?"

"We do," explained Raven. "But people go to healers more often because of...tradition, I guess,"

Draculaura glanced over at Darling Charming, who was staring out the window. "Darling," started Draculaura, getting the girl's attention. "Where did you find that pin? In Apple's pocket?"

"Correct," answered Darling, her voice a near whisper.

"Huh," Draculaura turned away and thought hard for a moment. "Why was it in her pocket?"

Darling gave Draculaura a sort of irritated look. "How would I know that?"

"It's just..." Draculaura fumbled with her hands. "I can't help but think that...whoever did this wanted you to find that pin like they were purposefully pinning the blame on Monster High. Perhaps I sound biased, but-"

"No, no," Frankie put up her hand, thinking over the sentiment. "That's not a bad thought. But..."

Before she could finish, the doors towards the back burst open, and King Stephen rushed in. His hair was a wreck, his clothes hadn't been neatly put on, and he looked anxious.

"Where is my daughter!?" he cried out, looking around for some sort of help.

"Stephen!" Raven jumped up and went to him right away, taking his arm. "Stephen, they're taking care of Apple as we speak. It's okay, she'll be okay,"

Stephen could only look at Raven with fear in his eyes. "Do you have any idea who did this, Raven!?"

"I have some idea," another voice said, and Raven bristled. Oh, no...

Snow White's heels clicked against the floor as she approached, and she glared at the ghouls with a fury only a mother could muster. "Those monsters are not completely innocent, I'm sure!"

"We had nothing to do with this," Cleo growled through her teeth. "And if you think we do-"

"Then, what?" Snow hissed back, crossing her arms. "Young lady, I'll have you know that I am a queen, and you will not speak to me in such a rude manner!" Cleo opened her mouth to respond, but Snow quickly turned her attention to Raven. "And you! Get away from my husband! I know it is your destiny to marry him, but-"

"I told you, I'm not doing that!" Raven blurted out in disgust, yanking her arm away from Stephen. "Snow, please-"

The sound of a door squeaking open stopped the argument. "Are the parents of Apple White present?" a nurse inquired, gripping a clipboard in her hands.

Snow whirled around, grabbing Stephen's arm. "Yes! We are here!"

"Right this way," the nurse stated, gesturing inside the room.

The door slammed shut, and Cleo let her magazine drop back onto the bookshelf. "Do you know what my little theory is?" Her voice sounded quiet. It was frightening.

When no one answered, Cleo went on. "I do not believe it was someone from our school. I believe that it was a fairy tale person, trying to make us look like savages,"

"Okay, first off," Briar stood up, ready to argue with Cleo once more. "We're called Ever Afterians, not 'fairy tale people'! And secondly-" her head dropped down to her chest, and she collapsed back into her chair, snoring.

Cleo gave a strange laugh. "Ha! Of course,"

Ghoulia, who'd been sitting beside Cleo, grabbed her arm and looked at her with pleading eyes. _"Please, Cleo..."_

"We would never do something like that!" Raven blurted out, purple flame bursting from her hands. "Why would you say something like that!? We're trying to be your friends!"

There was a silence as the other girls stared at the flame Raven had produced. Raven noticed, and she made it vanish right away. "Oh! S-so sorry,"

"Were you threatening me just then?" Cleo inquired, somewhat amused. "I think you were threatening me, Miss Raven,"

"I wasn't!" pleaded Raven, backing away. "It was an accident, I swear!"

Cleo placed her hands on her hips. "Oh? Are you scared of me?"

"Cleo, stop it!" begged Frankie, but her pleas fell on Cleo's uncaring ears.

Cleo stood up and got face to Raven, who backed away slightly- Cleo was significantly taller than her. "Try me," hissed Cleo, leaning into Raven's face. "I dare you,"

In that very moment, Raven could have killed Cleo. Or, since Cleo was already considered dead, Raven could have at least sent her flying several feet and crashing into the window. Yet, she did not. Though every muscle in Raven's body seemed to chant _'kill! Kill! Kill!',_ she went with her first instinct.

She ran away.

 _"COWARD!"_ yelled Cleo as Raven sprinted through the hospital doors. Cleo attempted to chase her, but Clawdeen grabbed her arms and held her back. _"COME BACK AND FIGHT ME LIKE A REAL WOMAN! YOU'RE A COWARD!"_

Raven ran past the parking lot and onto the sidewalk, where she tried to think of a place she wanted to be- the Enchanted Forest, maybe? Acting fast, she snapped her fingers and teleported herself.

She soon found herself face-down on a patch of grass, panting heavily from the earlier run. Raven rolled on her back, looking around at the forest: she'd never seen it like this before. It was dark and eerie, and the sweet birdsong was absent this time of night. It made her feel very uneasy.

As Raven stared at the stars above, she began to weep without even realizing why she was doing it at first. She thought back on the night, and wondered, _how did it come to this? It wasn't supposed to happen this way. We were supposed to be friends, we were all friends. Who would tear us all apart like this?_

"Raven.." a voice above her drawled, and it was the voice she'd known since the moment of her birth.

Raven sat up, wiping at her eyes. "M-mom?" she looked up, seeing her mother looming above her in her all-black attire. Did her mother escape? Was she freed? She was so drained, it didn't even matter. "Mom!" Raven stumbled to her feet and ran to her mother, grabbing her and burying her face in her chest.

As Raven sobbed, the Evil Queen just put her arms around her daughter and held her, resting her chin on her head. After about a minute, she ran her hands through Raven's hair.

"My poor little vermin," sighed the Evil Queen, squeezing her shoulder. "I knew befriending those monsters would only hurt you. They're actually quite soft creatures, they don't deserve their title,"

Raven pulled away and coughed, rubbing her eye. "H-how did you get out?" she managed to ask finally.

"The storm did some strange things in its wake," explained the Queen, taking her daughter's hand. "It's very late, Raven. Why don't I just take you home, and we'll call it a night, hm?"

"Home?" Raven looked confused.

"My old castle," her mother answered proudly. " _Our_ old castle. Your father never had it demolished, so I've simply moved back in. I have a room all set up for you,"

That did sound nice. Raven missed the old castle, the castle of her childhood. Her father couldn't stand it, however, and as soon as the Queen was gone, he bought a new one. It was also getting close to midnight, and Raven's body ached with fatigue. She nodded. "O-okay. But, you know I won't be able to stay for very long,"

Her mother nodded firmly. "I completely understand, my love. Come on," she took her daughter's hand and started to lead her through the woods, only to stop abruptly. "Oh! There's just one more thing,"

Raven yawned. "Yeah?"

"I'll admit, I was doing a bit of spying earlier," the Queen pulled out a small vial of glowing, pink liquid. "And I couldn't help but see your little exchange with that mummy girl- I hesitate to call her a 'girl', she looks my age. You know that a pet peeve of mine is seeing you back down from fights, so instead..."

"Mom," Raven started, sounding exasperated.

"Hang on! Just put a drop of this in her drink, and her immortality will drain instantly-"

At that, Raven pulled away from her mother, disgusted. "Mom, I refuse to kill anyone!"

The Queen's grip on the vial tightened, a look of sheer anger written across her face. "Why do you do this to me!? Why can't you just follow your destiny!?"

"Because I am not evil!" Raven curled her hand into a fist. "Cleo may have been unkind, but I refuse to kill her! I'm not evil- I'm not you! Can't you understand that?"

"I'm doing what's best for you!" the Queen argued back. "This is because I love you!"

Raven shook her head, her eyes becoming downcast. "I...I love you, too, but I can't do this. Hate only breeds more hate," and with that, she ran away into the woods.

"Raven-!" the Queen began, but she sighed and gave up. "Oh, Lord..."

Behind her, Van Hellscream emerged from the shadows, his arms crossed. "Well, well," he began, getting the Queen's attention. "I see your little plan didn't work out,"

"Don't you dare mock me," she seethed, anger present in her voice.

Van Hellscream waved her off. "I wouldn't dream of it! But, I think it's my turn to create the chaos you're hoping for,"

The Queen breathed a deep breath, straightening herself. "All right," she answered after a moment. "I will put my full trust in you,"

He grinned. "Excellent. Let's return to your castle, there are some friends I'd like you to meet,"


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24:

'The Monster High Open House Disaster' would forever live in the memories of those who resided in the town of New Salem. Word of it spread throughout the school and to Ever After like wildfire, burning away trust between the two worlds and leaving nothing but debris.

Before anyone could even register what was happening, close to a hundred parents from both worlds showed up at the school's doors at midnight, demanding to see their children. Bloodgood tried her best to keep everyone calm and to stop parents from running inside, but it was proving to be difficult.

The chaperones advised the students to stay close, but that didn't stop the teenagers from roaming away. One of these 'roamers' was Helga Crumb.

Helga, the girl with a body she hid inside a tight corset, now lay curled up within a storage closet, the same closet Apple had been in hours earlier. Her corset was gone, and all that remained was a long pink nightgown. The nightgown had a tear around the midsection, and Helga tried to pinch it between her fingers while quivering and weeping.

The closet door opened, and Helga didn't have to look up to know who it was.

There was a silence and Gus Crumb's voice broke it. "What did you and Steel do?"

"Nothing!" Helga blurted out through her tears. "I didn't do anything! It was all him, I swear!"

Gus knelt down beside her, taking her arm. "What happened to your nightgown?"

Helga covered her eyes. "Nothing! Gus, I-I need to take a shower,"

Rather than asking her more questions, Gus helped her up and led her to the girl's locker room, where he agreed to stay outside the door while she showered. As he stood alone in the quiet hallway, drumming his fingers against the wall behind him, a girl he hadn't expected to see approached him.

"Hey," he almost jumped a foot at the sudden voice: Ginger Breadhouse. "Oh, I'm sorry, Gus!" she apologized, looking worried. "I didn't mean to startle you so,"

Gus shook his head quickly. "N-no! It's all right," his eyes wandered down to her chest, and he realized that her pajama top wasn't well-fastened, exposing part of her breast. He tried to act like he didn't notice. "Do you...do you need something?"

"I only wanted to know if your cousin was all right," Ginger explained in a sweet tone. "I saw her earlier, she seemed very upset about something,"

 _Her adult boyfriend just attacked Apple White and made her watch,_ Gus wanted to say, but he knew he couldn't. "She's a tad...overwhelmed," he changed the subject. "Your top is a bit askew, Ginger,"

Ginger gasped and fixed it, blushing. "Oh! T-thank you for telling me,"

Their eyes met for a brief moment, and then Gus took a breath. "Ah, would you-?"

Before he could finish, a shrill and raspy voice screamed, _"GINGER!"_ and they both whipped around to look.

Ginger's mother came running towards them, hot pink heels on her feet and a big furry scarf wrapped around her shoulders. "Ginger!" Candy exclaimed as she got closer, nearly tripping but grabbing her daughter for support. "Oh, Ginger! Are you all right!?"

"Yes, mother," Ginger pursed her lips together in confusion. "Mother, how did you get in here?"

"Broke a window," Candy explained in a tired voice. "The headless bimbo wouldn't let me in! No one hurt you, did they?"

Ginger could only sigh "Mother, I'm fine, I swear,"

"Good, good," Candy leaned down and gave her daughter a big kiss on the lips. Ginger wrinkled her nose a bit- her mother smelled like too much bubble gum mixed with pipe smoke. "But always remember- if you ever get kidnapped, suck on a candy cane 'till it's sharp and stab the guy with it!"

"Yes," Ginger cleared her throat, giving Gus an apologetic look. "Have you come to take me home, mother?"

Candy nodded, taking Ginger's hand. "Of course! I don't want you spending another minute here. Do you need a ride, Helga?"

Gus furrowed his brow. "Helga's my cousin and I'm not a girl,"

"Could've fooled me," snorted Candy, leading Ginger down the hallway. "Let's get your luggage, honey," when they far away from Gus and alone, Candy spoke once more. "I also saw your grandma here, Ginger,"

Ginger's eyes widened. "What!? Grandma- you mean your mother? But...you told me she was dead,"

"Uh-huh," Candy leaned against the row of lockers and lit her pipe. "She works here, apparently. That's where she's been all these years," she blew out a stream of smoke, and then barked, "Ginger, get your stuff!"

Farther away, Deuce wandered the halls of the school, staring at his phone. His desire to go home was a desperate one, but he still hadn't received a text from Cleo yet. Last he knew, she was visiting Apple at the hospital, but that was an hour ago. Where was she?

His ears then picked up the sound of quiet conversation. He looked up, realizing that it was coming from the Catacombs. Someone was hanging out down there.

"Oh, no," huffed Deuce, putting his phone in his pocket. "Hey!" he called out, walking down the stone steps. "You're not supposed to be down here,"

The talking hushed, and then a feminine voice called out, "There be nothing here but us potatoes!"

Deuce couldn't help but laugh. He knew who it was- Maddie Hatter.

"Okay, seriously," Deuce started again as he finished his trek down the stairs. "What are you doing down here?"

He soon saw that Maddie was not alone- Bunny and Alistair were both with her, and they seemed to be doing a bit of exploring.

"Maddie said she heard voices down here," Alistair explained, picking up an abandoned book and looking it over. "We wondered if it had anything to do with what happened earlier," there was a loud shrieking, and he looked down to see that the book had sprouted legs. He dropped it, and it scuttled away into the darkness.

After a moment of stunned silence, Deuce shrugged and remarked, "Eh, that happens sometimes. You guys really shouldn't be down here,"

"Oh, but it's so interesting!" protested Bunny, digging around through an old discarded cabinet on the floor. "It's a crime to keep us away from such a...hello, what's this?" she pulled out a murky glass filled was a strange, white substance.

Deuce bent down to look. "That's a glass of milk," he confirmed after a few seconds.

Bunny started to tilt the glass, and the substance began to slowly slide out as if it were a solid. "Uh...hm," Deuce rubbed his chin. "Cheese. That's a glass of cheese,"

The substance slammed to the ground, leaving a large crack in the stone floor. There was a pause, and Deuce took a breath. "I was wrong- that's a glass of stone,"

"Don't you see!?" exclaimed Maddie, dramatically raising her arms in the air. "There's so much cool stuff down here! That glass of milk had to be at least ten years old- gosh, who wouldn't want to go down here? Sure, it's spooky, but..."

As Maddie prattled on, Deuce's eyes wandered over to her pet mouse, Earl Grey, who scampered along the floor beside her feet. Further away, a large lizard prowled towards Earl, blinking and never breaking its gaze. Deuce realized what was happening: the lizard was hunting Earl Grey.

"Watch out!" snapped Deuce, interrupting Maddie and dashing towards the lizard. The lizard hissed rose up on its back legs, unsheathing its claws and baring its teeth at Deuce. Deuce reacted in an instant, and he petrified the lizard within seconds. "Sorry about that," Deuce breathed, slipping his shades back on. "These lizards are becoming more and more of a problem lately,"

Maddie knelt down and scooped up Earl Grey, tucking him down the front of her gown. "Thank you so much for protecting Earl!" she exclaimed, her hands shaking a bit. "Who knows what could have happened to him,"

Deuce stood up, running a hand through his snakes. "Ha, no problem. I've got a rat at home, so I have kind of a soft spot for rodents," he watched her cradle the little mouse for a moment- she did it so delicately as if the mouse was a child. It was a sweet scene to watch.

Bunny just stared at Deuce, and then she shifted her eyes back to the now stone lizard. "How...?"

"Gorgon powers," Deuce answered. "I've had them all my life. My mother has them, and they passed to me. That's why I have to wear these glasses," he tapped them with his finger. "So I don't accidentally turn anyone into a lawn ornament, you see?"

"Have you ever turned a person to stone?" inquired Alistair, looking slightly nervous.

Deuce shrugged. "A few times. Don't worry, it's not usually permanent,"

Maddie gripped Earl Grey tighter to her chest, glancing at the lizard in concern. "It wears off?"

"It takes a long time to wear off. Like, a couple hours, a day, a week, maybe...my powers aren't really in my control at the moment, which is unfortunate. It's permanent sometimes, but..." a painful memory flashed across Deuce's mind, and he shuddered. "T-that was a long time ago. Hey, how about I show you that crazy dude I had to petrify?"

Alistair was intrigued. "What? Do you mean to tell me there's actually someone petrified down here?"

Deuce nodded, beckoning them. "Yeah, right this way. Stay close- he's right back here," he pulled aside a ragged curtain to reveal what looked to be an old room. "He and an old staff member got petrified by me and tucked right in this pocket of the wall. Our hope was that if they ever got de-petrified, they'd get lost down here, so-"

"There's nothing in there," Maddie spoke up.

Deuce stopped, whirling around to look. "But..." he couldn't find words. "How could-!?"

"Maybe they're lost like you said?" suggested Alistair.

"No!" Deuce started pacing. "There-there were two of them: Van Hellscream and Crabgrass! I petrified both of them, and they were put down here after that! If they're not stone anymore, that means..." he glanced at a small window towards the back, and his heart sank. The window had been shattered, and beside it lay an old vase. "They're free," His phone rang. His heart still racing, he glanced down at the screen to see who was calling him. It was Cleo.

Deuce shook himself. "I-I gotta take this," he walked away, the phone pressed against his ear and a hand shoved into his pocket. "Yeah? Sure, I can pick you up, but first..."

As he explained the current situation to Cleo, the sound of scratching several feet away caught Maddie's attention. Raising an eyebrow, she peeked over the corner of the wall, seeing the shape of a creature digging through a trash can.

Earl Grey squeaked anxiously within Maddie's front pocket, so she stroked his velvety ear to keep him calm. "It's all right," she glanced behind her shoulder before turning the corner and approaching the creature. "Um, excuse me? Dear friend, you shouldn't be eating garbage,"

The creature stopped and lifted its head, and Maddie gasped. "Oh! You're a dragon! Are you the school's dragon?" the dragon looked to her and began whining, a desperate look in its eyes. "You must be hungry," Maddie crooned, reaching into her side pocket. "I have some extra scones here! They're lemon,"

She gently placed two scones before the beast, who stepped forward and took both scones into its mouth in a cautious yet graceful manner. As it devoured both scones, Maddie heard Alistair calling for her. "Maddie? Maddie, Hatter says it's time to leave,"

"Just a minute!" Maddie called back. "I made a friend!"

"A friend?" questioned Alistair, going to investigate. "What friend?"

Maddie handed the dragon another scone, and Earl Grey squeaked in protest. "Oh, you had all kinds of scones, you greedy Gus!" Maddie scolded the little mouse gently.

Alistair took a step back in surprise when he saw what Maddie had found. "A dragon!? But, why? What's it doing down here?"

"Okay, convenience store- got it," Deuce assured as he finished up his phone call. She didn't explain why she was at the store, but Deuce thought it was best not ask. "I'll be there shortly. Love you," He hung up and pushed his phone into his pocket, saying, "It's about time you headed out, guys. It's really late, and-" he then realized that only Bunny was present. "Where are your friends?"

"Maddie made a friend," Bunny answered, looking somewhat worried. "I think it may have been some sort of creature,"

Deuce rolled his eyes, though one could not see it behind his shades. "Oh, no. Wait here, I'll be back,"

He turned the corner, ready to try and beckon Maddie and Alistair away from whatever they'd found. There had already been enough trouble that night, they didn't need anymore. And now that Van Hellscream was possibly on the loose, things were bound to go from bad to worse. Although, they already had, in a way.

The dragon looked over Maddie's shoulder, and it suddenly began shaking its tail wildly and whimpering, eyes wide. "What is it?" Maddie inquired, stroking the dragon's neck. "Is everything all right?" she turned around, seeing Deuce. "There you are! I found this dragon in here. I have a dragon, too- she doesn't live with me, but..." she trailed off, seeing the look on Deuce's face. "Wait...is this your dragon?"

"You bet it is!" Deuce blurted out, louder than he'd intended. He broke into a run towards the dragon, his arms outstretched. "Come're, Smokey! Come on, old pal!"

Smokey yelped and did a strange little circle-dance as Deuce ran up to him, and he tackled his owner as soon as they made contact. Deuce almost wept with joy but held himself back when Smokey nearly knocked his shades off. "Whoa! Careful, now- wouldn't want to make the same mistake twice," as he reunited with his pet, he looked to Maddie and tried to search for the right words. "I...how...where did you find him!?"

"He was just here eating out of the garbage," Maddie shrugged. "Did you know he was down here?"

"Yeah! But," Deuce scratched his head, petting Smokey's scales. "He was supposed to turn back on the anniversary- see, he was a statue down here, and he was supposed to turn back on a certain date, but...how is he here now?"

Before Duece could even begin to contemplate how this happened, a voice called out, "Hello in there! Are you planning on leaving anytime soon?" it was the Mad Hatter. "It's awfully late, and I'm a bit nervous having you down here,"

"Coming, Dad!" Maddie assured. "We'll be there real soon!" she turned to Deuce and smiled at him. "I'm so glad we found your dragon! He seems pretty glad, too,"

Smokey licked Deuce's face, and Deuce chuckled. "He really is! Thank you so much for finding him,"

"Not an issue at all. Do you need a ride home?"

Deuce felt his phone buzz, and he didn't even have to look to know it was Cleo. "I have a car, it's fine. Thanks for offering, though,"

Pretty soon, Deuce found himself alone in the Catacombs with Smokey. He checked his phone, seeing Cleo's text: " _Plz get here! A homeless man is making eyes at me."_

Deuce texted back. _"Be there real soon, promise. Also, we gotta talk about something I saw,"_

"Come on, buddy," Deuce gently guided Smokey towards the exit. "We gotta pick up my girlfriend- oh, she'll love you,"

Smokey chuffed with uncertainty and shook his head, but obeyed nonetheless.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25:

It was one-thirty in the morning when Van Hellscream called the MHU agents to the Evil Queen's castle.

"I wanna know who's decision this was!" snapped Johander, the agent with the mohawk. "I wanna know who decided to call us here at twelve in the freakin' morning, and-!"

"Stop complaining!" Steel smacked Johander on the back of the neck, silencing him. "You weren't the one who had to pull an all-nighter just to rough up some blonde. Also, the meeting's about to start, so shut your yap,"

The door opened, and Van Hellscream entered with the Evil Queen close behind.

"Dear friends," began Van Hellscream, removing his coat at the door. "I suppose you're wondering why I've called you all here today," he took a seat at the long table, folding his hands in front of him. "You see, while we were successful in creating tension between the monsters and the fairy tale people, a certain part of our plan didn't go as expected,"

Steel groaned. "What now?"

"Raven, my daughter," began the Evil Queen, glaring at Steel. "She refused her destiny, despite everything. Furthermore, a few monsters are starting to catch on to us,"

"So," Van Hellscream continued. "What we need to do is get Raven on our side, wipe out the monsters who are figuring us out, and increase the tension between these groups. Eventually, the tension will become so great that they will wipe one another out, doing our work for us!"

As most of the agents murmured with approval, Steel raised an eyebrow. "How exactly will we get those monsters out of the way? They aren't exactly easy to defeat, as you found out," he gestured to Van Hellscream.

Yet, Van Hellscream only smirked. "Why, Steel! Don't you see? The only way to defeat a monster is with more monsters!" he stood up and parted a curtain towards the back. "Dear friends, meet Kushisake Onna," A tall, thin Asian woman decked in a large trench coat and boots stood against the wall, her hands buried within her pockets. She wore a surgical mask on her face.

"Humans," she sighed when she saw the looks on the agents' faces. "You are all so concerned with what is abnormal and what is not. You have no reason to fear me, yet you do. We will get along if you do not insult my beauty,"

"What are you trying to pull, Hellscream!?" Johander exclaimed, standing up. "A freakin' ghost!?"

Van Hellscream motioned for him to sit down. "We aren't finished, Johander. Kushisake Onna will never betray us. We are on good terms, and she is incredibly powerful,"

"Indeed," Kushisake Onna agreed.

The Evil Queen smiled a wicked smile and gripped her wine glass, remarking, "I have heard much about you, Kushisake. I am very thrilled that we will work together,"

"Indeed," Kushisake answered once more, seating herself beside Van Hellscream.

Steel cast an uncertain glance her way. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Of course it's a good idea!" a voice said, and everyone turned to the figure in the doorway. A middle-aged man with a black hat on his head graced into the room, removing the hat and smirking at Steel. "And if it isn't, someone is going to end up fricasseed,"

Steel reached for his gun, but Van Hellscream stopped him. "Hold it, Steel- that won't work on him, anyway. Allow me to introduce Robert McKennitt, or as he's known, 'The Wanderer'. Though he and I once worked against each other, I believe he will be of aide, now,"

Johander raised an eyebrow. "He looks human. You said-" before he could finish, Robert unsheathed a large pair of claws, his teeth turned razor sharp, and his eyes went from brown to frosty-white. Johander yelped and almost fell out of his chair, and Robert went back to normal.

"I'm a Wendigo," Robert stated, unbuttoning the front of his coat to reveal his neck. He wore a necklace made from human teeth around his neck: trophies. "I should have you know, I hardly ever work with humans, but I am making an exception for these next few months. You best not double-cross me, as I am very hard to kill, I've used portals to travel to about every kind of realm, and my children are my helpers. I have a son and a daughter, and both of them know black magic,"

Shaking, Johander raised his hands. "All right, all right, we got it,"

Robert crossed his arms and pursed his lips together. "Do you people trust me?"

Steel snorted. "Uh, not really,"

There was a pause, and Robert nodded at him. "Smart man,"

Robert took a seat, and Van Hellscream went on. "We have one more waiting, but the Evil Queen will be recruiting more help as time goes on. As of now, our last recruit for the day has been sitting here the entire meeting!"

The MHU agents exchanged glances with one another, confused. As they began to ask what Van Hellscream was talking about, a porcelain cup that had been sitting on the table fell to the floor and shattered. The pieces reconstructed within seconds, and they created a pale creature that rose up and stretched out its long arms.

Johander stood up in alarm, backing away. "What is that thing!?" Hair, clothes, shoes and a face all materialized on the creature, and its body shifted into that of a shapely woman's.

She jumped up on the table, kicking a foot in the air and making eyes at Johander. "Hello!" she chirped, winking. "My name's Carlotta! You're a very sexy human,"

Johander looked disgusted at first, but he soon laughed. "Uh...right back at you?"

"Get your feet off the table!" snapped the Evil Queen, startling Carlotta.

Carlotta rolled off the table and fell before the queen, stumbling to her feet and doing a curtsy with her skirt. "Of course, your majesty!" The Evil Queen made a face- she already didn't like her.

"What are you, exactly?"

"A she-demon!" answered Carlotta, crossing her arms. "Just a she-demon, not a succubus. I'm not a succubus, although I wish I was..."

"Please sit down, miss Carlotta," sighed Van Hellscream. "It's a good thing you're a shape-shifter, otherwise I would have ended you long ago,"

Carlotta only huffed at him. "You weren't saying that when I shape-shifted into your favorite Playboy model and let you-"

"Stop!" Van Hellscream put up his hand, looking mortified. He hissed through his teeth, "I thought we agreed never to speak of that,"

"Of course," snickered Carlotta, twirling her red hair. She grinned at the Evil Queen. "I can't wait for us to work together!"

Once Carlotta had sat down, the Evil Queen stood up and cleared her throat. "All these monsters will aid you in ridding the world of Monster High, protecting the humans that matter to you, and helping my daughter accept her destiny! Are there any questions?"

"Um, yes," Brick, a female agent, raised her hand. "How are we supposed to trust these monsters?! We're the Monster Hunters United! We kill monsters that are threats to humanity!"

Van Hellscream opened his mouth to answer, but Robert stopped him. "You see, miss," Robert began, his voice pleasant. "The only reason why we're helping you is that we share a common enemy,"

An agent named Peter sat up at that. "Who would that be?"

"Headmistress Nora Bloodgood," answered Kushisake Onna. "She's harmed us all in some form,"

Carlotta slammed her fist on the table. "Bitch is gonna pay!"

The Evil Queen grinned, folding her hands together. "See? We are all on the same page, so to speak! You all have nothing to worry about,"

At the same time, C.A Cupid opened up the door to her house. She stumbled inside and dropped her bags on the table, kicking off her heels and pulling herself up the stairs.

She passed her father's bedroom, where she heard his reassuring snores and the music he played to get himself to sleep. Cupid peeked into his room for a moment, watching Eros' form rise and fall as he breathed.

Once she'd opened the door to her own room, she didn't even bother to tell her father why she was home and instead flopped down on her bed, sighing an exhausted sigh. She inhaled the warm scent of her sheets, right before the tears rolled down her cheeks.

"My fault, my fault," she whimpered, her shoulders quaking. "All of this was my fault..."

Morning finally came.

Cerise's eyes fluttered open, and she squinted a bit at the bright sunlight. As she rolled over on her front, she suddenly became aware of her surroundings: she was lying on a padded seat in what appeared to be some sort of carriage, there was a fleece blanket bunched up beside her, and the whole place smelled like pine needles and plastic. _Where am I!?_

"Hey, you're up!" a friendly voice chirped, and Cerise turned around.

Brocko was sitting in the seat in front of her, and he had his feet on the dashboard. Cerise felt her heart jump slightly when she noticed he didn't have a shirt on. "Brocko! W...where are we?"

Brocko looked a little disappointed. "You don't remember? When the Open House went south, Romulus decided that we would all spend the night in the woods. I gave you and your sister a ride out here, but you fell asleep. Your sister and I stayed with you, but she left a little while ago,"

Now that he mentioned all this, the memories came flooding back: she'd kept reminding Ramona that they needed to call their father, but Ramona wasn't listening. During the car ride, Cerise's eyes began to get heavy with the need for sleep. When she finally gave in, she heard Ramona say, _"I'm gonna call our dad. He can't know where we really are- he'll freak out,"_ just before drifting off.

Before Cerise could panic about disobeying her father, Brocko asked, "You hungry?"

"Uh..." Cerise shook herself, smoothing her hair back. "Y-yeah,"

Brocko smiled at her, getting up. "This way! The other wolves are out at the campsite, and the food's probably here by now," Cerise watched as he slipped a shirt over his head and adjusted it around himself, and she checked to make sure she had appropriate clothing on before following after him.

But when they arrived at the campsite (which was just a few picnic tables, a charred grill, and an old playground), they discovered that the food actually hadn't arrived yet.

"Yeah, Dougey's supposed to bring it, and he's running late," explained Romulus as he scraped a blackened substance off of the grill. "In the meantime, we can wait. Clawd really wants to play kickball, so we'll probably do that at some point,"

Brocko seemed a bit annoyed at this, but he didn't argue. As he picked up a long stick and started using it to draw in the dirt, Cerise could hear someone calling her name.

"Over here!" called Ramona from the old swing set, standing on the seat while rocking back and forth.

"Sit down," Clawdeen scolded Ramona, frowning. "That's not how you use a swing,"

As Cerise approached, Ramona jumped down. "You're finally awake! You were asleep on your feet last night, I swear,"

Cerise got straight to the point. "Ramona, what did you tell dad?"

Ramona's face fell. "Oh...you were awake for that, huh?" when Cerise nodded, Ramona sighed. "I said we were staying with some friends, that's all. He was half-asleep when I called, so it's not like he'll remember,"

"Besides," Clawdeen spoke up. "He can't keep you under his paw forever. How old are you two? Seventeen? Sixteen?"

"We're both seventeen," Cerise answered. She rocked back and forth on her heels, and she remembered the dream she'd had. "Hey, I had weird dream last night,"

Ramona grimaced. "Oh, no. It wasn't the naked dream, was it?"

"No, no!" assured Cerise. "It was...it was one I'd never had before. There were two wolves battling, and one of them was Isengrim,"

Clawdeen looked confused. "Who's that?"

"The first Big Bad Wolf," Ramona explained. "He's a...relative of ours. What happened then?"

Cerise thought hard. "Well...then, the other wolf, Lupine, saw something behind Isengrim's back and yelled,"

"What did she yell?" Clawdeen wanted to know.

"I think it was..." Cerise tried to remember exactly how Lupine pronounced it. "Iolanthe,"

Ramona only raised an eyebrow, but Clawdeen's mouth fell open in surprise. "Iolanthe?" she asked after a few seconds, bewildered. "You mean...the sorceress, Iolanthe?"

Cerise shrugged. "I...I don't know. Sorceress? I've never heard of her,"

Before they could discuss the matter any further, they heard Clawd calling, "Hey! The food's here! Come get it!"

Dougey got out of his car, carrying a cooler and laying it in the grass. Brocko stared at the cooler in surprise. "How much food did you even buy?"

"I bought enough," was the answer. "And don't you dare complain- none of it was cheap," Dougey opened up the cooler and asked, "Can someone start up the grill?"

"Howldon's on it!" Clawd called back, and then he turned to his younger brother. "You know what to do, right?"

Howldon tilted his head, a can of lighter fluid clutched in his hand. "How much do I put in?"

"Uh," Clawd tried to think. "Like, a lot,"

Howldon made a sort of 'eh' noise and then began to pour a large amount of lighter fluid on the rill. Clawd gasped in horror and wrestled the can away from him. "No, no! Not that much!"

Pretty soon, the wolves sat in the grass and enjoyed small cheeseburger sliders. As Cerise took a bite out of hers, she listened to Clawdeen explain who Iolanthe was.

"She's basically a sorceress who was all anti-war, hundreds of years ago," Clawdeen went on as she reached for a bottle of mustard. "She tried to stop one of the vampire wars from happening but failed. No one heard from her after that,"

Ramona thought this over as she sipped on a root-beer. "Weird. I wonder why you were dreaming about her, Cerise,"

As Cerise reached over and dug around in the cooler for a drink, Brocko came to join her. "You know," he began, laying his paper plate in the grass. "You never said 'no',"

"Hm?" Cerise looked up. "No to what?"

"Going to the steakhouse,"

Cerise pulled her hood shyly, taking a sip of lemonade. "O-oh! Well..."

"The answer is no," a stern voice said, and Cerise's face fell.

Badwolf stood above her, arms crossed and stone-faced. "Cerise, Ramona, we're going home,"

Ramona stood up, shocked. "Dad! H-how did you find us!?"

"Doesn't matter," Badwolf articulated, gesturing to the woods. "Your mother's over there. Go, now,"

Ramona huffed, waving goodbye to the other wolves and picking up her burger and root beer. Yet Cerise stayed completely still, just staring at her father in awe. "Why are you doing this, dad?"

"Now!" snapped Badwolf, clenching his fist. Cerise was up in a flash, nervously bidding goodbye to Brocko and following her sister.

Badwolf watched them leave, and then he turned to the other wolves. "Listen, you," he growled, his voice low. "I don't want you near my daughters today, tomorrow, or any other day of the week!"

"Oh, yeah?" asked Howldon smugly, standing up. "Well, how about _yesterday?_ Straight up fact!"

Clawdeen pulled her brother down to the grass. "Shut up, you numbskull!" she hissed at him. "Look, sir, we don't want any trouble,"

"And neither do I," Badwolf responded, his voice calm all of the sudden. "So, please- stay away from my girls. I don't trust any of you," With that, he left.

In the woods, Cerise vented her frustrations to her mother as they walked home. "Why does he think he can just tell us how to live our lives!?" Cerise ranted, swiping at nothing with her nails. "We're not children anymore! We have our own lives!"

Red stopped walking and turned to her daughter, an incredible sadness on her face. "Cerise, honey, your father just loves you too much. He's had a bad history with others of his kind,"

Ramona snorted. "Why does that matter? He needs to get over it,"

Red winced a little at that comment. "Ramona, please don't tell him that. He had a rough start in life, let's leave it there,"

Badwolf caught up to his family, shifting into his human form and sighing. "I'm sorry, girls. What I did was in your best interest, trust me,"

Cerise did not answer, and she only dug her hands into her pockets, the tears stinging her eyes. Badwolf noticed the tears and put an arm around her, pulling her close to him and kissing her forehead.

* * *

 **Whoo, I'm back! Sorry, this was later than normal. I've just been super busy with all my classes and stuff. But, the last class I was supposed to have today got canceled, so I'm home early!**

 **As always, feedback is welcome, and so are any questions, comments or theories you may have!**


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26:

Apple woke up around 9:00 in the morning. She got quite the fright when she woke up and forgot where she was, but the memories came flooding back when she looked to the nightstand beside her.

On the nightstand were hundreds upon hundreds of cards, all expressing sympathy over the incident and wishing her a speedy recovery. She smiled at them, but only or a moment, as she sank back into the hospital bed. She wanted to forget everything, to erase any evidence of what had happened. For a moment, she wished she lived in a real book, so she could skip this particular chapter and never have to worry about it.

"Apple?"

Apple jerked up, looking towards the furthest corner of the room. Stephen was standing up from a chair, disheveled and tired, but still smiling.

"Father!" she cried out, holding her arms out as he came and hugged her. "Oh, Father, how long have you been here?"

"Since last night, my darling girl," he answered in a soft voice, brushing a few strands of hair away from her face. "Your mother is getting breakfast for us, she'll return soon. Now," he sat on the bed beside his daughter, placing an arm around her. "If it doesn't bother you too much, would you mind telling me who did this?"

Apple shuddered. "Father, I'd...like to forget,"

Stephen gave her a sympathetic look. "I understand. But, your mother and I only want to know what happened so we can help you,"

Despite her hesitation, Apple saw the sincerity in her father's eyes and knew she had to tell him. She straightened up in bed and told him all she could recall, from seeing Helga Crumb in the Catacombs to hearing the deep voice of the stranger who attacked her. Stephen just listened silently, and when she was finished, he kissed her.

"My dear," he sighed, looking absolutely heartbroken at hearing her tale. "I'm so sorry for this- I wish I could have been there to protect you,"

Apple smiled a weak smile at her father. "Thank you, and please don't feel guilty,"

Her Mirror-Pad began to light up, and Apple glanced down to see who it was. "Oh...father, it's Darling Charming. May I-?"

"Of course, dear," Stephen got up, heading for the door. "I'll go check on your mother while you catch up with your friends,"

"Thank you, father," Apple pressed the button to answer the call. "Hi, Darling,"

Darling sounded worried. "Apple, how are you?"

"I'm much better than I was," Apple explained. "Thank you so much for saving me,"

"Oh, good," Darling sighed. "And...you're welcome, it was no problem,"

Apple smiled, leaning into her hand. "How have you been, Darling? I hope you and the other girls are all right,"

"Well..." Darling trailed off. "See, Apple, the other girls have a sort of 'hunch' that...someone, a villain, maybe, used you to create friction between ourselves and the monsters,"

Apple's mouth fell open. "Of course!" she exclaimed after a moment. "That makes sense!" she began to feel a sort of rage building within her, one she'd never felt before. "Who would do such a thing?"

Darling shrugged. "The others say they have a few ideas, but there's nothing definite at the moment. We're going to discuss it at the Tea Shoppe this afternoon,"

"I'm coming with you," Apple stated firmly.

"Wha...?" Darling was surprised. "Are you sure?"

Apple gave a nod. "Yes. As soon as I eat something, I'm going to get out of here and to you, to talk,"

Outside the door, Stephen met up with his wife, who was standing by with the food cart.

"What did you learn?" Snow inquired, her voice low.

"Someone lured her inside a place called the 'Catacombs'," answered Stephen. "It was Helga Crumb,"

Snow quirked a brow. "Helga Crumb? Hansel's girl?"

When Stephen nodded, Snow tapped her chin in thought. "Well...Stephen, bring Apple our meals. I will join you shortly,"

Stephen disappeared into the room, pushing the tray in front of him. Snow sat down on a nearby bench and penned a letter, and when she was done, she snapped her fingers and did a whistle. A blue jay flew up to her, and she rolled up the letter and placed it on the bird's foot.

"Take this to Hansel Crumb in the Great Valley. He lives with his sister, his wife, and his brother in law," she told the bird, and it flew out an open window.

An hour later, Helga Crumb awoke to someone shaking her. She blinked and looked up from her sheets, seeing her father standing over her with a paper clutched in his hand.

Hansel had a look of fire in his eyes. "What's this I hear about you luring the Princess Apple to her attacker!?"

Helga just glared at him without saying anything, and she rolled out of bed, pushing past him to go downstairs.

"Why aren't you answering me!?" Hansel demanded, following her. "Demon child! What have you done!?"

Hansel refused to let up, even as his daughter sat at the table with a glass of water. "Tell me what you've done! Confess!"

When Helga still ignored him, Hansel gave up, huffing and crossing his arms. There was a pause, and he went into the kitchen. He returned moments later with a sticky bun wrapped in wax paper.

" _Helga~_ " He cooed as if he were talking to a toddler, waving the treat in her face. "Your auntie made some lovely treats for you and your cousin! Have a taste?"

He laid it down in front of her, watching and wringing his hands. Helga took a sip of her water, staring blankly at the bun. Then, she did something no one had ever seen her do: she pushed it away.

Hansel's face fell when he saw this. "Oh, no," Although he did not care for sweets himself (this was due to being held captive by Candy the witch years prior, as she'd fed him nothing but sweets for a straight week), he knew his daughter did, and he also knew how unusual it was for her to refuse anything with sugar in it. Something was wrong.

He pulled up a chair beside her, trying to make eye contact with her. "Who hurt you?"

Helga looked away, resting her chin in her hand. She still remained silent.

That afternoon, the girls held a meeting at the Tea Shoppe. However, it wasn't only the Ever After girls who were there.

"I wish they would stop staring at us," sighed Draculaura, watching a group of Ever Afterians sitting several feet away. "They can trust us, right?"

Maddie shrugged as she poured tea for her friends. "I can't go over there and force them to like you if that's what you're asking,"

"No, no!" Frankie clarified, putting her hands up. "We were just...concerned, is all,"

Abbey did a laugh, sticking her finger in her cup of tea to cool it. "Leave them be, Frankie. They are just rats, jumping around the corner looking for a food! Very jealous,"

Raven lifted her head up, staring at the monster girls with worried eyes. "Um, hey- your friend isn't coming, is she?"

Frankie raised an eyebrow. "Who?"

"You know..." Raven chewed on her lip. "The Mummy,"

"Oh! You don't need to worry," Frankie assured. "She won't be joining us. And I'm sorry for her behavior, she was just going through an...off day,"

Ghoulia lowered her cup away from her face and made a groaning sound, which meant something like, _All of us are having off-days._

Darling drummed her nails against the table, glancing behind her every now and again. "Where is Apple? She said she'd be joining us,"

"They probably wouldn't let her out of the hospital," Cupid sighed, running a finger along the outside of her cup. "That or she's just running late,"

Briar, who'd the others thought was asleep, threw her head back up and made a noise of discontent. "It's too early for this!"

"It is afternoon," Abbey deadpanned back, sipping her tea.

Just then, the bell on the shop's door jingled, and a slim figure in a cloak hurried in, pulling up a chair and taking a seat. Frankie grimaced a little when the stranger sat right beside her. "Can I...help you?"

The figure removed the hood, revealing herself to be Apple. The others gasped in surprise.

"Apple!" Darling went to her right away, putting an arm around her. "Apple, you came!"

"That I did," Apple spoke breathlessly, sweeping some hair away from her eyes. "It wasn't easy, I'll tell you that much,"

Draculaura looked at her skeptically. "They let you out already?"

Apple shook her head. "No. Mother forbade it, and a nurse said they weren't allowed to discharge me yet. But I _really_ wanted to come, so I snuck out,"

Frankie's eyes got wide. "And no one stopped you!?"

Before the matter could be pursued any further, Cupid cut in. "Okay, everyone. Let's not forget why we're here,"

"And why are we here?" Briar looked close to falling asleep.

"To figure out what exactly is going on here," Frankie answered, pulling out a notepad. "I've gotten some recent information that seems to suggest someone used Apple as a pawn to create problems,"

Apple tapped her nails on the table anxiously. "Well, let's get started!"

Frankie opened the notepad and brandished her pen, clicking the cap off. "Let's start with you, Apple- was there anyone you can pick out by name who you remember seeing just before the attack?"

"Yes," Apple stated firmly. "I saw Helga Crumb. She was talking to someone down in those Catacombs, but she ran away when I approached her,"

Briar shuddered. "Ugh! I never trusted that little creep. She was probably baiting you, Apple,"

Raven looked over Frankie's shoulder, watching her write down Helga's name. "Put her cousin's name down, too," Raven suggested. "His name is Gus. I bet he's not far behind,"

Frankie finished writing and looked back up. "We got two so far. Raven, Cupid told me something happened to you in the woods after your fight with Cleo,"

Raven grimaced a little. "Oh...I hoped that wouldn't come up, but...yeah, I saw my mom in the woods last night,"

Apple gasped. "She's out of prison!?"

"She escaped, I guess," Raven shrugged, stirring her tea with a spoon. "She was about to take me home, but-"

"Raven, where is 'home'?" Cupid wanted to know. "With your father?"

Raven shook her head quickly. "Of course not! She meant...the old castle,"

"That must be where she is," Darling mused aloud. She gestured to Frankie. "Put that down,"

"Right after that," Raven continued. "She tried to get me to poison Cleo, but I said no and ran away. That was the last time I saw her,"

Maddie leaned against the edge of the table, thinking hard. "I bet..." she spoke slowly and clearly. "Your mom started this whole thing for you to accept your destiny,"

Frankie wrote down everything she'd heard, and then she took a breath. "Now we've got three. I think this is the best time to tell you what Cleo called me about last night," Frankie laid her pen and notepad down, trying to stay calm but clearly nervous. "You see, this guy we had petrified down in the Catacombs for trying to tear us apart about a year ago kind of...escaped,"

"Van Hellscream!?" Draculaura exclaimed, horrified. "You didn't tell me this! Oh, no- what will we do!?"

"Try not to worry yourselves," Cupid tried to assure, though she was scared herself. "We-we don't even know if he's still as powerful as before!"

Frankie picked her notepad up and began to write some more, but she had a thought. "If Raven's mom is on his side, he may be even more powerful,"

Briar, who was more awake, now, also had a thought. "You know...maybe that was him, Apple. The guy who got you?"

An uncomfortable pause followed that sentiment. After a moment, Maddie reached over and gently tugged on Frankie's notepad to look at it. "What do you have, now?"

Frankie narrowed her eyes at what she'd written, leaning back in her chair. "Well...see," she set the pad down and began to draw lines connecting the names and places she'd heard. "It looks like...Van Hellscream and The Evil Queen have begun working together, and those Crumb kids are possibly working for them. There's a whole conspiracy going on, here,"

Ghoulia leaned over to look, and she nodded slowly. _I feel like we're playing Clue._

The girls were so immersed in their discoveries that they didn't realize someone had walked into the shop. However, they soon became aware when the guest put a hand on Raven's shoulder, startling her.

Raven turned around quickly, only to gasp in surprise. "Whoa! Astranova, when did you get here!?"

Many who knew Astranova could agree that she looked different than when she'd first arrived. She still had her same starry blue eyes and glittering skin, but she'd changed her style of dress considerably. Her hair was styled and braided down her back, and she wore a blouse with leggings and a jacket. Her demeanor was calm and collected as always, but there was excitement in her eyes as she looked over the group of girls.

"Look at all of you, getting along so well," Astranova smiled at them, but her smile soon faded. "I wish I could say the same for the others,"

"Astranova, where have you been all this time?" Frankie wanted to know, but her attention turned to Raven. "And...you know each other? What's going on!?"

Astranova smiled amusedly. "I'll answer any question you have once we've all calmed down, but for now, I'll just tell you that I've been very focused on trying to settle myself in,"

Apple pulled up an empty chair and motioned for Astranova to sit. "Well, sit with us! We have time!"

"To be truthful with you, I don't have much time," Astranova admitted. "I'm just here to get some coffee before I go back to The Lilac Garden,"

Briar snapped awake at this. "The Lilac Garden!? What business do you have with that miserable place!?"

At this, Draculaura turned to Maddie. "What's so bad about a garden?" she whispered to her.

Maddie answered, "The Lilac Garden is Ever After's insane asylum,"

"I've been volunteering there ever since the Great Storm hit," Astranova explained. "Lots of people were disturbed by its aftermath, so I figured I could help. Mental illnesses have always fascinated me as well,"

Cupid then recalled something she'd heard the day before. "Hey," she began, although she hardly knew this girl. "You wouldn't happen to know a boy by the name of Killian Hook, would you?"

Raven grimaced. "Cupid..."

"Actually, I do," Astranova nodded, looking a bit confused. "Do you know him?"

"I know of him," Cupid answered, wringing her hands. "He seems very interesting, and I would love to speak to him,"

Raven finally cut in. "Cupid, believe me, that won't be a good idea-"

"No, no," Astranova put her hand up. "It is a good idea. Killian keeps chattering about the storm and how he thinks it happened, and he believes he knows the cause of the original storm. If you're interested, you can come with me to meet him,"

Cupid was ecstatic. "Of course! I bet he knows a lot,"

"Cupid, he's crazy," Briar sighed, rubbing her temples. "Crazy people aren't brilliant, they're sick. I remember Killian from grade school- my dad and his dad were friends. I know Killian, he's sick,"

"Crazy isn't bad!" Maddie tried to argue, but everyone seemed to ignore her.

Cupid wouldn't hear anything against her idea. "I would love to talk to him, so I'm going with Astranova to Lilac Garden. Is anyone coming with me?"

Briar slipped on her headphones. "Count me out. Sorry, but no thanks,"

"We'll go with you!" Frankie stood up, grabbing her jacket. "He sounds interesting, and I'm sure he'd love the company,"

Apple stood up as well, placing her hood back on. "I suppose I'll go as well. But, it must be a quick visit, you understand?"

Astranova shrugged. "No promises. Killian's quite the talker,"

Darling reached out and took Apple's hand. "If you go, I'm protecting you. You won't be out of my sight,"

Apple giggled, covering her mouth. "Why, thank you, brave knight!"

Abbey rolled her eyes. "Ugh. Just make out already,"

"Before we go anywhere, I need to get the coffee," Astranova started, but Maddie got back up.

"I'm on it!" Maddie chirped, running back up to the counter where her father was working.

As Maddie began to pour a cup of coffee, Hatter inquired, "What are you and your friends up to?"

"They're taking a trip to the insane asylum," Maddie responded nonchalantly, setting the coffee pot down. "I'm not going because I have to work!"

Maddie trotted away with the cup, and her father watched her bring it to the table. "The asylum?" he muttered under his breath, cleaning a teacup with a rag. "There's mad, and then there's just plain idiotic,"

* * *

 **Okay! Done! Done for this chapter! This is so late, I'm sorry. I've been so busy with college and things!**

 **Anyway, I hope you're really enjoying this so far! We're getting to an exciting part, I promise. As always, feedback is appreciated in the form of a question, comment, or even a theory.**


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27:

Residents of Ever After recognized Lilac Gardens as being 'too pretty' for an asylum. It had once been a military hospital during the war between Snow White and the Evil Queen more than a decade before. Once the war ended, Snow White saw no use in the building and used it as a place to put those deemed unfit for society. And 'unfit for society' was a sort of codeword for 'crazy'.

When the girls entered Lilac Gardens, the first thing Apple commented was, "Well, this seems like a nice, quiet place,"

She spoke too soon. A pudgy man sped in front of them down the corridor, pushing a cart full of towels while a nurse chased him and shouted, "Get back here! Oh, Russel, come back!"

This didn't phase Astranova, and she turned the corner and motioned for the girls to follow her. "The rooms are this way. Killian's room is a bit further down,"

As they walked down the hallway, Astranova continued to talk. "This is 'quiet time' for the patients here. They get about three hours of this, and then they get to go down into the basement for 'play time'. It's interesting- the workers treat this place like a daycare of sorts,"

Raven grimaced when she heard a horrible shrieking from within one of the rooms they'd passed. "Is that patient alright in there?"

"That's Mrs. Ogrelyn," Astranova responded. "She's having her daily scream. There's Killian's room right up ahead, Room 71,"

Near Killian's door, a nurse wheeled a bathtub strapped to a cart down the hall. When she saw Astranova and the girls, she wrinkled her nose.

"What's this, Nova? Visitors?"

Astranova nodded firmly. "Yes, Ma'am. They're here to talk to Killian,"

"Are you sure?" The nurse raised a brow, still gripping the cart's handle. "This is supposed to be his quiet time,"

Just then, a mermaid burst from the bathtub, snickering as she looked at the girls. "Swine! Swine, swine!" the mermaid chanted, grabbing a handful of seaweed from beneath the water and flinging it towards the visitors. "Feed the swine!"

The seaweed smacked Draculaura right in the face, and she yelped in disgust. Right away, the nurse whirled around to the mermaid and began to scold. "Coral! What did I tell you about doing that!? I'm sorry, we'll have to be off,"

As the nurse continued to pull the tub down the hall, the mermaid taunted, "Nag, nag, says hag!" she pulled another clump of seaweed out and waved it at the nurse. " _Heeeere_ _pig, pig, pig!_ "

The nurse whipped around slapped Coral in the face. "You better shape up!"

Darling watched them leave sadly. "I hope she isn't related to Meeshell. They look an awful lot alike,"

Astranova pulled out a key ring and unlocked the door, knocking gently first. "Killian? Killian, are you in?"

"Yes," came the meek response.

"You have visitors, Killian,"

Killian sounded almost angry. "My father?"

Astranova shook her head. "No, no, Killian. Some friends of mine- they're interested in you and what you have to say,"

There was a slight pause. "Okay," Killian answered.

Astranova pulled the door open, motioning for the other girls to follow.

Killian had a tiny but comfortable room, with a large window and a fireplace. His tiny bed sat in the corner, and there was a table pushed up against the window. There was a door to the right that was slightly ajar, and an even tinier bathroom could be seen from within.

Killian himself sat at the table, which was covered in drawings, papers with scribbled writing on them, and thousands of pens. He was slouched a bit in his chair as he meticulously drew what appeared to be a tentacle beast. When he looked up, the girls could see a scar on his forehead that split his left eyebrow.

"Hi," Killian greeted shyly, laying his pen down and not making eye contact.

Astranova smiled at him. "Hello, Killian. These are some friends of mine. They're curious about you,"

Killian turned and stared at the girls with his dark eyes, and Cupid cleared her throat. "Um...hey, Killian. We heard you knew a lot about the Great Storm?"

At the mention of the storm, Killian's eyes widened. "I do!" he seemed very excited, now. "I know all about the first one, and all the prophecies that said it would happen again!"

"You know about the first one?" Frankie wanted to know, clasping her hands hopefully. "Is it true the Alpha Queen caused it?"

Killian shook his head. "No, no! See," he dug around on his desk and retrieved a small notebook titled, _Realms beyond Realms_ in messy handwriting. He flipped to a page, where he showed a drawing of a woman standing on a pillar above two wolves, both of which were covered in blood. "It wasn't the wolves' magic, it was Iolanthe's!"

"Iolanthe!?' gasped Draculaura, surprised. "We learned about her in school!" she studied the drawing of the sorceress. "But...why did you draw her with horns and a tail? You did draw this, right?"

Rather than answering Draculaura's first question, Killian went on and answered the second one. "I drew this," he flipped through the rest of the pages, displaying various cryptic but detailed drawings. " _All_ of this,"

Apple's mouth fell open. "Wow," was all she could say. "You're...very talented,"

"Iolanthe comes to me in my dreams," Killian went on, getting up and pacing as he animatedly talked. "She tells me stories of things that have happened and things that will happen, and when I wake up, I write down everything and draw the visions she showed me. I'm her disciple,"

At this, Raven took a wary step back. "Really...? I-I believe you," she really didn't, but she didn't want to argue with him. "But why did Iolanthe choose you?"

Killian stopped pacing, and he seemed to fall back down in his chair. "Because, I..." his voice was softer than before. He turned to a page in his book and held it up for the others. "I saw Nowhere's Land,"

The picture depicted a beautiful valley, with a lovely tree in the center and a tall mountain behind it. Cupid tilted her head, confused. "Why, Killian, it looks wonderful,"

"It's not," Killian's voice shook, and there was panic in his eyes. "It's not wonderful at all. Soon, very soon, you will get there, and you'll see what I saw,"

Frankie exchanged glances with the other girls, and asked, "Are you sure of this?"

"Yes," Killian stated firmly, pointing at them. "I know you, I predicted you. You're the sisters, the sisters who will save and unite the worlds against the evil,"

Abbey quirked a skeptical brow at him. "We are not related unless you are blind,"

"Not by blood," Killian elaborated, folding the book closed. "By spirit!" he then handed the book to Cupid. "Take it,"

Cupid put her hands up. "Ah! No thank you, Killian. We don't want to take your things,"

"I finished it two nights ago," Killian persisted. "It will help you. I want to help you,"

After about a second of silence, Cupid took the book. "Thank you, Killian," the cover was made from two thin pieces of wood, and it was held together by what looked to metal pins. Cupid desperately hoped she wouldn't get a splinter.

The nurse who'd been pushing the tub earlier entered the room, a ring of keys dangling from her hand. "It's playtime," she said in a deep voice. The other patients had left their rooms, and the girls could hear them yelling and running down the halls.

Killian looked at the nurse pleadingly. "Goody Lawerence, I'd rather stay here,"

Goody Lawerence rolled her eyes and reached for Killian. "Killian, I am not going to fight with you again-"

Astranova stuck her hand in and stopped Goody Lawerence from grabbing Killian. "Actually, Miss Lawerence, I was thinking I could escort Killian to the playroom today,"

Goody frowned but nodded. "All right, then. Just don't doddle,"

When Goody was gone, Killian stood up and lifted up his bed pillow, pulling out a small plush crocodile. "I have to hide him," he explained, gesturing to the toy. "They'll throw him away if they find him," as he tucked the toy beneath his arm, Astranova took his hand and the other girls saw this as a cue to leave.

"Are we really going to read through this?" Raven wanted to know as they left the asylum through the back garden. "We don't even know if what 'Iolanthe' has been telling Killian is even correct,"

Cupid flipped through a few pages, shrugging. "Well, it's interesting, and he's a great artist. I thought you said he didn't have any hobbies?"

"That's only what his sister said about him," Raven clarified. "She never mentioned any drawings of his,"

"We should show the Wonderlandians at the Tea Shoppe," remarked Darling, taking a peek at a page. "They love things like this,"

As the girls chattered about what to do with the book, Ghoulia felt a strange presence. She turned around slowly, and her eyes narrowed behind her glasses. A growl rose up from her throat, and she began to tug on Abbey's shirt.

"Hm?" Abbey looked over at the other girl. "What, zombie?" Ghoulia pointed, and Abbey startled just a bit.

There stood a tall Asian woman with a surgical mask covering her mouth and one hand tucked in her pocket. The others noticed her as well, and their talking hushed. She made everyone feel unsettled.

"Excuse me," the woman began, her voice soft. "But, I was wondering how to get back to New Salem from here?"

Draculaura spoke up first. "Um...back through that forest," she pointed to the Enchanted Forest. "That's the quickest way,"

The woman gave a slow nod. "Thank you," she took a step closer. "And...one more thing: do you think I'm pretty?"

"I'm sorry?" Draculaura tried to laugh but faltered.

"Do you think I'm pretty?" the woman asked again, in the exact same tone of voice.

Draculaura tilted her head. "Yes...?"

The woman let out a loud cackle. " _Good!_ " she tore the surgical mask from her face, revealing a mouth that had been split from ear to ear. Before anyone could react, the woman pulled a pair of gardening shears from her trench coat and tackled Draculaura.

 _"GET OFF OF HER!_ " screamed Darling, unsheathing a sword from within her skirt and using it to knock the garden shears away.

The woman looked rather surprised, but she retrieved her shears and lunged to attack Darling instead.

The other girls watched in awe as Darling bravely fought off the attacker, sword against shears. It went on for several seconds until the woman got Darling's sword between the blades of the shears and yanked it out of her hand, knocking her to her feet and straddling her.

"What a pretty face," the woman remarked, running her finger down Darling's cheek. She raised the shears above the girl. "T'would be a shame if something were to...happen to it,"

All of the sudden, Abbey came running, Darling's sword clutched in her hand. With a battle cry, Abbey charged right into the woman, plunging the sword into her side and knocking her flat on the ground. The woman did not seem affected by the stabbing, and she simply pushed Abbey away.

When the woman pulled the sword from her side as if it were nothing, Draculaura knew what she was. "Oh, my gosh," she whispered, stepping back fearfully. "She's a rogue soul!"

The woman looked at the shears in her right hand, and then the sword in her right. "Interesting, two weapons. This should be over in a moment,"

This was about as far as things got. A huge soundwave came barreling through the garden, knocking over several plants and blasting the attacker straight into a row of barrels. The girls all whipped around to see who'd saved them- it was Astranova.

Astranova stood there, a determined look on her face and her guitar clutched in her hand. As the woman struggled back up, Astranova strummed the strings with such a fury that it send another sound wave to keep the woman back down.

"Get behind me!" Astranova commanded. "Quickly!"

Obeying, the girls ran to Astranova, and Darling made sure to retrieve her sword (which the woman had dropped). As soon as everyone was accounted for, Astranova raised her hand a final time. '

The woman finally got back up, and she saw what was happening. " _NO! HOW DARE YOU!?_ " she broke into a run towards the girls. " _YOU TOOK AWAY MY VICTORY!"_

Astranova ran her hand across the strings once again, and there was a flash of light.

The next thing they knew, the girls were lying right outside the Tea Shoppe, where they'd once been. As everyone struggled to their feet, it was Raven who spoke first.

"Who was that!?" gasped Raven, sitting up and trying to compose herself. "Astranova, did you know her!?"

Astranova smoothed her hair back, checking to see if her guitar had been damaged. "I know of her," she explained, setting her instrument back down. "You see, that woman is known in Japan as Kushisake-Onna, or 'The Slit-Mouthed Woman'. How or why she's here is beyond me,"

Cupid lay on her side in the dirt, still clutching the book to her chest. She sat up slowly, letting the book fall into her lap as she took a few breaths.

The book flipped to a random page as it landed on her lap, and Cupid froze when she looked down.

On the page, there was a drawing depicting a tall woman in a trench coat fighting a group of girls, and the scribbled text beneath it read, _"The Slit-mouthed woman attacked the Sisters, but they fought back and did not give up. After a brilliant rescue, they gathered together to decide what would happen next,"_

Cupid felt her heart drop. "No way..."


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28:

It was at precisely 2:30 in the afternoon, on the plush hotel bed while wearing a fluffy robe that Toralei Stripe uttered the words, "You really are amazing," to someone for the very first time.

She'd said it to Kitty Cheshire, who only smiled and sipped the cup of tea the hotel had provided her with. The two cats lay against the large pillows, cuddled up against one another as the radio played a soft song. They'd escaped to the hotel after the Open House disaster, and when Meowlody and Purrsephone had to leave, Kitty suggested that she and Toralei take this opportunity to 'get to know each other better' (as she'd put it), and Toralei jumped at the chance without hesitation. It had been quite the night, filled with kisses and grooming and lots of fruity drinks, and it led to the two girls sleeping late into the afternoon. This was certainly a night both of them would remember forever.

But, there was one thing Toralei could not understand: why did she like Kitty? She'd never felt anything for another girl before, or at least, nothing this intense. Kitty just made her feel...different, and it was a good different.

"Thank you," was Kitty's response. "I...feel the same way about you," she cleared her throat and glanced into her teacup. "I don't like this tea very much. It tastes bland compared to Wonderland tea,"

"Eh, I've never been a tea cat," Toralei shrugged, flicking her tail. "I could never get myself to like it,"

Kitty just looked at her and grinned knowingly. "Perhaps you just haven't had the right kind of tea,"

Toralei felt herself smile again as she watched Kitty lean over the edge of the bed and place the cup on the nightstand. When Kitty re-adjusted herself on the pillow, Toralei leaned in and planted a quick kiss on Kitty's mouth, making her gasp.

"Oh!" Kitty exclaimed, covering her mouth and blushing a bit.

When she looked away, Toralei scoffed. "Really, kitten? After what we just did, and you can't even look me in the face? Adorable,"

"You're both so cute, I just want to wrap you up in a little bundle of sweetness," a strange voice above them remarked, and both girls jumped in alarm.

A much older cat leaned out of a picture above the bed frame, smirking at the girls. "Hello, my sweet little Kitty. Funny, you never struck me as a queen-cuddler,"

Kitty balled her fists, upset. "Stop embarrassing me!"

The Cheshire Cat only laughed, emerging from the photo entirely and dropping between the two girls. "Oh, what, I'm not allowed to come looking for my only kitten when she said she would return home for the weekend but never did? For shame. I also wanted to meet your little lady friend," Cheshire grinned and offered a hand to Toralei. "Charmed, my dear,"

Toralei smiled a nervous smile. "Um...nice to meet you,"

Cheshire scanned Toralei from head to toe silently, concluding, "Kitty, I am pleased that you chose such a lovely she-cat. And she's got long claws, so she can protect you!"

Kitty rolled her eyes, but she couldn't quell the anxious feeling within. "Are you here because of what happened at the Open House?"

"Yes," Cheshire confirmed. "I'll admit, I felt concern,"

"Well..." Kitty swallowed, wringing her hands. "You...you weren't involved in that, were you?"

There was a pause, and then Cheshire rolled over and looked Kitty in the eyes. "No! But, I know who was,"

Kitty was all ears, her eyes wide. "Who!?"

"My enemy!"

Toralei raised a brow. "And...who would that be?"

"The Evil Queen!" Cheshire sprang up from the bed, pacing. "She offered me a place in her band of rogues, but I refused. I am very glad that I did, for what she's planning is far too chaotic, even for my tastes,"

Kitty grabbed Toralei's hand, and Toralei, sensing her fear, squeezed her hand back. "What is she planning?" Kitty asked, her brows knitted in worry.

Cheshire stopped and took a breath. "She is planning a war. An entire war,"

Evening came.

 _"You're almost there now!"_ sang Hawking Burns as he spooned a large serving of green bean casserole on a plate. _"Baby, I'm-ah be your motivation."_

Heath made a face at his father, shaking his head and picking at the casserole with a fork. As Hawking took a seat back down, Merida watched Heath sadly.

"Heath?" she asked, folding a napkin on her lap. "Sweetheart, are you still upset?"

"Maybe," Heath mumbled, taking a bite of casserole. "It's just...I don't want to be remembered like that!"

His sister, Harmony, poured a glass of juice and nodded understandingly. "Look, I get it. I'm always remembered as a girl who got pregnant during senior year, but you know what? I own it. Who cares if Nefera DeNile still calls me 'the cautionary whale'?" she glanced over at her son, Carter, who was stirring his mashed potatoes around with a fork. "Carter, baby, just put the potatoes out of their misery and eat them,"

"I want some jelly," Carter told his mother firmly, still glaring at the potatoes.

Hawking gave his grandson a look. "Carter, what do we say instead of what you just said?"

Carter corrected himself. "Jelly, please,"

As Merida passed Carter the jelly, she told Heath, "Look, it's in the past, now, and you should just move on and accept it. It wasn't your fault in the slightest, so you shouldn't feel guilty over what you can't change,"

Heath sighed. "I know, but...everybody's fighting, now, and everyone's just so scared and angry...I gotta fix this!"

"This is purple jelly!" Carter spoke up, scowling. "I don't like purple jelly, I like red jelly best,"

"Carter, this is the only jelly we have, you'll need to make do," Merida stabbed at a green bean absent-mindedly. "And Heath, it isn't your responsibility to fix anything,"

Harmony agreed, carefully watching Carter as he collected a good amount of jelly on the butter knife. "Yeah, I'm with Mom, Heath. All you really need to do right now is-"

"Excuse me," Hawking cut in. "Carter, what are you doing to your potatoes?"

Carter stirred jelly into the potatoes, taking a deep breath. "I can put butter on toast, and I can put jelly on toast. I can put butter on potatoes, so why can't I put jelly on potatoes, too? It makes sense,"

Merida had to laugh. "I guess we can't argue with that logic,"

"Carter, we don't put jelly on potatoes because we just aren't supposed to," Hawking explained as if it were something serious. "Now, if you keep up that attitude, your mom will send you to your room,"

"He hasn't done anything wrong," mumbled Harmony, not looking at anyone. She swallowed and continued. "Heath, all you need to do right now is to treat everyone with respect. Maybe if you do something nice, everyone else will follow your example,"

Heath leaned back in his chair, trying to think. "Well, what could I do that's 'nice'?"

Harmony shrugged. "I dunno. Just...any of the dumb stuff that schools do. Bake sale, science fair, dance, party..."

"A party!" Heath sat up quickly, eyes wide. "That's what I should do! If I throw a killer party, and I invite those fairy tale kids, then everyone will have a good time, I'll save my reputation, and everything will be great!"

Merida's mouth fell open. "Oh- Heath, that's a no, I..." she looked to Hawking for help. "Honey..."

"Heath, I know how all your parties end up," Hawking began, folding his hands in front of him. "Do you remember your last birthday party?"

Heath scoffed. "Dad, that furniture was old anyway! How else was Holt going to start a bonfire? And besides, I wasn't thinking we'd have it here,"

"Y-you weren't?" Merida's hands fidgeted. "Where would you have it, then?"

Heath thought about it. "Hmm...local park?"

"How about the community center?" suggested Harmony. "We can reserve a space together,"

"Harmony-! Oh, sweet Jesus," Hawking groaned, rubbing his temples. "Look, kid: I need you to ask yourself- are you sure that's a good idea?"

Heath nodded. "Of course I'm sure! Everyone likes a party. What could go wrong?"

Hawking and Merida exchanged worried glances, and Hawking took a deep breath. "You know what? Knock yourself out, kid. Just be careful,"

"Thanks, dad!" Heath grinned, picking up his plate and heading to the kitchen. "Harmony, let's set up an event on Facebook and invite some cool beans!" he picked up a green bean and waved it around. "Get it? Bean?"

Merida sighed. "I sure hope they know what they're doing,"

It was soon the following day: Sunday.

Valentine sipped his coffee, gripping the plastic cup gently as he listened to Bram talk.

"And so I said, 'I'd rather be getting the black plague than going to one of your concerts'!" Bram concluded, and Gory snickered.

"Oh, Bram!" Gory exclaimed. "How did you get so funny?"

Bram just shrugged. "Genetics, I guess," he turned his attention to Valentine, who hadn't laughed. "You still mad at me, Kieran?"

Valentine looked up, taking another sip of his coffee. "I would be lying if I said no,"

"Look, Kieran," Bram began, setting his cup down. "I'm sorry, all right? I was trying to help you, and things backfired a little,"

"First off," Valentine straightened up, looking Bram in the eyes. "Did I say that I wanted you to slip Clawd Wolf ipecac? The answer to that question is no, and when the wrong guy got poisoned, you could have apologized, but no. You're just too proud for that, aren't you?"

Bram made a face, raising a brow. "Jeez, Kieran. What's gotten into you? You sound like someone's dad,"

"Good," Valentine remarked. "At least one of us does,"

An awkward pause followed, and Gory cleared her throat. "W-well, it's about time we ordered our lunch, hm?" she stood up, beckoning Bram. "Bram and I will order the meals, and you'll wait here, right?"

"Actually-" Bram dug around in his wallet and handed Valentine five dollars. "Could you go buy some...you know, rubbers for Gory and I? It's our anniversary," he winked.

Valentine stared at the money silently, and then took it. "Sure,"

As Gory and Bram headed to the gourmet burger joint, Valentine made his way to 'Jungle Love', an adult shop. Right away, he discovered a box of what Bram had been asking for, but before he could grab it, he recognized a face towards the back of the store.

It was Lizzie Hearts, and she wasn't in any fancy garb like she'd been wearing before. She seemed to be staring intently at a row of some items in boxes, and it didn't take Valentine long to see what she was looking at.

"Lizzie!" he hissed, dropping the box back on the shelf and making his way towards her. "Lizzie, what do you think you're doing!?"

Lizzie looked happy to see him. "Hi, Valentine! Could you explain to me what these are?" she pointed to one of the items, which was encased in a box. "It says it's an '11 inch all-American'-"

Valentine took a quick step in front of her vision, smiling an awkward smile. "Hey, are you hungry? Because my friends and I are having lunch and I was thinking you'd like to eat something,"

At the mention of food, Lizzie's face lit up. "Oh! Food! Of course,"

"Great!" Valentine took Lizzie's hand and led her away from the boxes. "Just let me pay for something, and then we'll be on our way,"

After paying for the rubbers (which the cashier smirked at when he saw Valentine and Lizzie standing together), Valentine led her to the table and pulled up a chair.

"What are you doing out here?" he asked, again noticing her outfit. "I thought you would have gone home,"

Lizzie looked a bit sad. "Well, I was about to, but..." she winced. "My parents were having a fight, and I didn't want to get involved,"

Valentine nodded, sympathetic. "I see. So, what have you been doing this whole time?"

"Staying at the school," Lizzie answered. "There's hardly anyone there, so it's quite empty,"

Just then, Gory and Bram appeared, dropping the tray of food on the table. "Hey, who's your friend, Kieran?" Gory wanted to know, looking at Lizzie with curiosity.

Valentine was about to introduce her, but Lizzie did it instead. She cleared her throat and held her hand out to Gory in a regal manner. "I am Lizzie Hearts, daughter of the Queen of Hearts. I am pleased to make your acquaintance,"

Gory shook her hand, puzzled. "You aren't a vampire? You're so pale,"

"Am I?" Lizzie was suddenly self-conscious, touching her face. "Oh, dear, perhaps I applied too much powder this morning,"

Valentine waved her off. "Lizzie, you're fine," he turned his attention to Bram. "What did you get?"

Bram removed the food from the bag. "The usual: a couple sandwiches cooked rare, an order of fries. Do you want us to get your friend something?"

"No, no," Valentine assured, standing up. "I'll go get her something. Lizzie, what do you normally enjoy eating?"

Lizzie thought about it. "Um...are there any good salads?"

"Of course. I'll get you a good one from the salad bar," he smiled at her, putting his wallet back and turning to leave.

Gory stood up and picked up a large container of fries, dumping them out into a few separate containers and pushing one towards Lizzie. "Here, you can have some fries while you wait,"

Lizzie politely pushed the container away. "Oh, no thank you. I try to stay away from fried food,"

Gory scoffed. "Are you serious? You're like a twig. Gotta eat something besides leaves!" she unwrapped her burger from the wax paper. "And I've been good all week, so this is my treat," she then took a bite out of the burger, giggling in surprise when blood squirted on her chin. "Mmm, perfection!"

Lizzie watched in horror as Gory dabbed a napkin on her mouth and continued to eat the bloody rare burger. "Barbarians," murmured Lizzie under her breath.


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29:

Things were different on Monday morning.

There was a tension between the schools that was so thick one could slice it with a knife, and the staff at both high schools were aware of it.

"We should build a wall," Mr. Hack had muttered during a Mad Science class. "Don't want those lying bastards here anytime soon,"

At Ever After High, the atmosphere was not so different. After what had happened to Apple, students were encouraged not to stray over to Monster High, but many of them did anyway to talk to friends they'd made. Despite these orders, Headmaster Milton Grimm remained strangely quiet. Students and staff alike became worried about his absence.

However, around noon of that day, lots of Monster High students got a notification on their phone. It was the same notification, and it went like this:

 _"Heath Burns has invited you to an event: AWESOME FRIEND PARTY_

 _Location: New Salem Community Center_

 _Time and Date: 6:30 PM to 12 AM this Friday._

 _Food and drinks are provided._

 _Special requests: invite as many fairy tale kids as possible!"_

Many students were surprised to receive this invitation, but nobody was quite as surprised as Bram DeVein.

"I don't get it," Bram frowned, staring at the notification. "This kid hates me, and he just invited me to a party. He's probably going to go all Carrie White-type retribution mode on me and kill me,"

"Or," Valentine cut in. "He's being nice to you so you'll realize how much of a jerk you are. If I were you, I'd take this opportunity to apologize,"

Bram rolled his eyes, groaning. "Agh...fine. Whatever, I'll say sorry to him. But, I swear, if there's nothing but a lame game of Uno, I'm leaving,"

Valentine sighed, looking back down at his phone screen. He smiled at the 'special request' line: he knew just who to invite.

The next class for Valentine was Gym class, but it was outside this particular day. Luckily for Valentine, the sun wasn't out, so he didn't need his umbrella. When the others were distracted by a game of kickball, he wandered through the woods and to Ever After High's courtyard, where Maid Marian was training some princesses.

"Head up, chin forward," Marian instructed the girls as they took tentative steps along the runway, each balancing books on their heads. "You want to keep your book from sliding- that's it. Toes pointed, hands at your sides...wonderful!"

Valentine leaned against a tree and watched the girls as they walked with delicate steps. They soon stopped at the end of the runway, standing still and waiting for Marian's approval.

Maid Marian looked each princess over, walking past each one. "Good...good...good...tuck your toes in, Duchess. Good...good..." she stopped at Lizzie Hearts, squinting. "Elizabeth, are you well?"

Lizzie kept totally still as she spoke. "Why do you ask, ma'am?"

"You seem awfully feeble," Marian sounded concerned, her brows knitted together. "If you aren't feeling well, you should sit down,"

"I'm fine, Ma'am," Lizzie tried to assure, but she lost her balance and the book fell from her head.

Marian shook her head. "Sit down on the bench, Elizabeth. Perhaps this isn't for you,"

As Lizzie sat down on the bench with a sigh, she was surprised when a pair of hands touched her shoulders. "Guess who?"

Lizzie smiled, and she turned around. "Hello, Valentine! When did you get here?"

"A few minutes ago," he leaned against the bench, grinning at her. "You looked beautiful up there,"

"Thank you," Lizzie smiled and looked away shyly. "S-so, what brings you here?"

Clearing his throat, Valentine pulled out his phone and opened the notification from earlier. "This Friday, there's a party at the community center where I live, and I just wanted to know if you would go with me?"

"Oh!" Lizzie looked rather bewildered. "Really?"

"Yes, really. It's at six-thirty in the evening, and I could pick you up if you wanted,"

Lizzie suddenly seemed anxious, and she began to tap her foot absent-mindedly. "Well...I'm sure it will be all right, but...what time will you bring me back?"

"It ends at midnight," Valentine answered, noticing her nervousness. "But, I could bring you back here before then,"

"I would like that," Lizzie gave a vigorous nod. "You see, Headmaster Grimm has had quite the grip on us females after what happened to Apple, so..."

"I get it," Valentine straightened up, looking at the time on his phone. "I have to get back to class. See you later?"

Lizzie reached out and shook his hand. "See you later!"

Others who were attending the party managed to get into contact with their Ever After friends, although there was much hesitation on both sides due to the previous incident. Despite all this, Heath was very enthusiastic to see just how many of his friends accepted the invitation.

However, while Cupid and the other girls had still agreed to go, she still felt immense anxiety as she paced the Tea Shoppe that afternoon.

"Cupid, you're gonna burn holes in that book if you keep staring at it like that," sighed Raven, watching as Cupid flipped anxiously through _Realms Beyond Realms._

"I just need to know what to prepare for," Cupid spoke quickly, her brows knitted in worry. "If this book really can predict the future, then we have to know if anything happens at that party!"

Maddie scoffed, pouring a cup of tea. "Can't you just go to the page that predicted the Slit-Mouthed Woman and read on from there?"

Cupid pursed her lips together. "I tried that. The problem with this book is that it's not in a specific order. The page after the last one we saw is all about the first Great Storm that happened, and then it goes on to talk about 'affairs of the star-crossed', which is just complete nonsense. I'm going to have to visit Killian again to see if he can help us make sense of this jumbled mess of his,"

Briar shook her head, stirring her tea. "What'd I tell you? Killian's a lunatic. You really believe a sorceress came to him in his dreams and told him to write this stuff? You're literally stressing over a book written by a crazy guy,"

Cupid tried to argue, but Ashlynn reached out and touched her shoulder to stop her. "Listen, Cupid," Ashlynn began, her voice a little quiet. "Just enjoy yourself at the party, all right? There's no point in freaking out over what you can't change,"

Cupid raised an eyebrow. "You're going? I thought you said you wouldn't be,"

Ashlynn shrugged. "I changed my mind, and I convinced Hunter to come. He's really freaked out, though, and I have a feeling he'll be keeping a close eye on me,"

"Well...I guess you're right," Cupid closed the book slowly, still staring down at it. Her anxiety persisted, and she knew it wouldn't go away for a while.

On Wednesday, Harmony took Heath to the Community Center to further arrangements for the party.

"There's actually a lot guests for once!" Heath raved as he and his sister set up tables and chairs. "I was afraid that no one would come, like my birthday party in fourth grade,"

Harmony grimaced. "Ugh, don't remind me. That still makes me really sad and pissed off," she noticed Carter in the corner trying to pull down a stack of board games from the shelf. "Uh-uh, Carter! Put them back!"

Carter looked upset. "But what will Heath's friends play? There's no donkey game,"

"Donkey game?" Harmony looked confused.

"Yeah!" Carter tried to explain. "Where...where you put the donkey's tail on but you can't see and-"

Heath figured it out. "Oh, 'Pin the Tail on the Donkey'? That's cute, but we don't play those games in high school, buddy. We're gonna set up some pool tables and an Xbox, okay?"

"Okay," grumbled Carter, leaving the board games alone. "I think the donkey game's more fun..."

"All you've got is a pool table and an Xbox?" asked Henry, a community center worker and one of Harmony's friends. "Can't you dumb kids do something better, like doing jello shots off of each other's nipples?"

Harmony clapped her hands over Carter's ears. "Henry, there's a five-year-old here!"

Heath wrinkled his nose. "Henry, I know you're gay and all, but that's just plain gross. Anyway, I bought like three different Xbox games, so we should be good!"

Henry shrugged, wiping down the counter. "Whatever you say,"

"You're gonna be here Friday night, right?" Heath asked, watching Henry hopefully.

"Nope," Henry shook his head. "I got a date with my boyfriend that night,"

"Aw, really?" Heath leaned against a nearby chair. "Who's gonna be here instead?"

Henry just grinned slyly. "Guess,"

Heath thought about it. "Uh...the old man with the weird blue skin?"

"Close," Henry snickered. "Kindergrubber,"

"Kindergrubber!?" Heath groaned, sinking into the chair. "Damn it, I forgot she started working here! God, I already have to deal with her at school, and now she's supervising my party!? Henry, can't someone else cover your shift?"

Henry clicked his tongue. "Sorry, no. She's the only one available. I feel for ya, kid, having to put up with that old witch," he turned to another worker who was stocking some cups. "Sarah, could you run and get some more wet wipes from the utility closet? There's a really bad soda stain on the counter that I can't get off,"

Sarah, a chubby Centaur, nodded. "Sure thing,"

She turned and walked out into the hallway, heading towards the closet. Once she got there, she walked in and closed herself inside.

"Ugh," Carlotta growled as she shook herself out of the centaur form. "I hate shifting into centaurs! Their anatomies are so weird," she pulled out her phone, dialed a number, and waited. "Hi, ugly!" she began when Van Hellscream picked up. "It's ya girl!"

Van Hellscream sighed. "Carlotta. What did you learn?"

"Well," began Carlotta, clearing her throat. "The good news is I didn't have to kill the centaur- the real Sarah came down with the flu and never called in sick, so here I am. I found out where they keep the drinks, namely the punch since I feel like that would be easier to mix our little 'ingredient' into," she snickered. "Anyway, how's it going over there?"

"Robert has everything prepared," Van Hellscream answered. "I never gave him any instructions, this is all from his expertise, so I can only hope that he does not fail me, and I hope _you_ don't either,"

Carlotta scoffed. "Me? Oh, honey. When have I ever failed?"

* * *

 **Hey, everyone! Sorry that this is a little shorter than what I've recently been posting, but I can promise you a longer chapter in the next update! I'm also really tired right now and I figured I'd post this before going to bed.**

 **Questions, comments or theories? Leave them in a review! I appreciate every piece of feedback I receive, and I'll try to get back to you if I am able.**


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30:

"This won't end well,"

Maddie ignored the voice as she stacked teacups.

"So?" she muttered, glaring at each cup individually. "I had a feeling it wouldn't. But I need to be there for my friends,"

The voice went on. "I know you care for your friends, but can't you just convince them not to go? I already told you what you need to know about this,"

"They wouldn't believe me," Maddie answered. "And they've just convinced Cupid not to look to the book for answers. You also told me that the 'man-eater' is after us?"

"He is," the voice told Maddie, sounding worried. "Specifically, you're the one he wants, so it's best for you to stay behind,"

"And what will I have accomplished?" Maddie wanted to know, annoyed. "Being a coward? I must face the man-eater, and I will ask what he wants. You won't be able to stop me,"

As Maddie closed the drawer firmly, the voice sighed. "Godspeed to you, Maddie. Godspeed," and with that, the voice went away.

"Madeline?" Hatter shut the kitchen door behind him as he watched his daughter put away the dishes. "Madeline, were you talking to someone just then?"

"Yes," came the answer.

There was a slight pause, and Hatter cleared his throat. "Who was it?"

Maddie threw a rag in the hamper. "Brooke,"

"I see," Hatter nodded slowly. "What did she tell you,"

Maddie stopped, and she stood very still. "Nothing," she told him after a few seconds. "I'm gonna go soon, Dad,"

"Are you coming home this weekend?" Hatter wanted to know, walking up to her and touching her shoulder. "I understand you have plans to go to a party, but after that...?"

"Yeah, I think so," Maddie nodded, pulling her gloves off and giving her father a kiss on the cheek. "See ya, Dad,"

Hatter squeezed her hand. "Goodnight, Maddie,"

On her way out, Maddie bid goodbye to Alice, who was sitting in a chair by the window. "Night, Alice!"

Alice waved at her. "Goodnight, Maddie," when Maddie was gone, Alice sighed and leaned her elbow on the table, letting her other hand rest against the side of her belly.

After a few minutes, Hatter stepped out of the kitchen and closed the door, locking it.

"When will we tell her and Alistair the truth?" Alice asked as Hatter pulled up a chair beside her.

He took her hand and didn't meet her eyes for a few minutes. "Well...should we?"

"Matthew, it's necessary!" Alice argued, upset. "They're our children! And I have a feeling the newest one will bear resemblance to you, so I'm certain others will be asking questions," she gave her stomach gentle rub as she said this.

"All right, I'm sorry," Hatter put an arm around her and pulled her into an embrace. "We'll tell them together when the time's right,"

Alice looked at him, uncertain. "And when will that be?"

"I..." he trailed off, drumming his fingers against the table. "I don't know," Hatter laid his hand on Alice's midriff, stroking it. "Soon, I promise you,"

That was Thursday.

Friday came, once again. The tension between the groups seemed to steadily increase, even with the prospect of another chance to socialize. These thoughts were brought up during a study period in the student lounge, at Ever After High.

"Are you sure you really wanna do this gig?" Sparrow Hood asked uncertainly as he looked over a music sheet with Melody Piper. "I mean, after what happened to Apple..."

Melody scoffed. "Please. That was just one incident! Just because it happened once doesn't always mean it'll happen again. And besides: at this party, I'm gonna collab with this super cool dude named Holt. His beats are fire, man! Literally!"

Sparrow looked disappointed. "Aw, that guy? Damn it. My band wouldn't go with me, they're all too freaked out,"

Just then, the door to the student lounge opened, and Maid Marian walked in.

"Studying hard, I imagine," she remarked, suspiciously eyeing her son.

In a flash, Sparrow straightened up and acted like he'd been working. "W-what's that, mom? Yeah, just...doing stuff over here. Important stuff!"

Marian sighed, rolling her eyes. "I'm sure," she went to a small bookshelf, lamenting, "That Duchess Swan will be the death of me, Sparrow! She will not hand in any work, she's been especially arrogant towards me, and on top of all that, she skips class! I cannot understand what you see in her, son,"

"She's not my- whatever," Sparrow turned back to his classwork. "But, I do think its funny when you trash-talk your students!"

"I'm not 'trash-talking', I'm just...venting!" Marian huffed and went back to the bookshelf. "Aye, how I wish you'd been born a girl..."

What Marian didn't see was Duchess Swan lying on a mat on the other side of the bookshelf. Duchess picked up her head as she heard Marian talk about her, and then growled quietly. _The dumb baggage of a woman._

She straightened up, turning to the door and walking out. As she entered the hallway, she looked around to make sure she was alone, and then she fished around in her pockets. After about a minute, she found it.

"Oh, mother," she sighed, looking at the little porcelain box with longing. "I promise, I will see you tonight, just like I do every night. How I wish your spell would break," Duchess paused, and then she began to twist the key on the box's side.

The box opened, and a tiny ballerina began to twirl on its gears. The music started to play, and Duchess leaned against the wall and listened, smiling. Though she was aware she didn't have the best voice, she began to sing softly anyway.

 _"On the wind,_

 _'cross the sea,_

 _hear this song and,_

 _remember._

 _Soon, you'll be_

 _home with me,_

 _once upon_

 _a December,"_

The song ended, and the box closed. Just as the music stopped, a voice inquired, "Was that you?"

Duchess yelped and nearly dropped the music box, her head whirling around to see who was there. "Headmaster Grimm!"

Milton Grimm looked more stressed than usual, and he stared at Duchess with a look she'd never seen him have. "Shouldn't you be in class, Miss Swan?"

"Um...I-I have a study period,"

There was a pause, and Milton turned his attention to the music box. "What is that?"

Duchess held the music box protectively to her chest. "My music box, sir. My mother left it for me when I was a baby before she...you know,"

He stared at the box silently. "I see. It's lovely," he looked back up at Duchess, and he stared at her until she became uneasy. "Your mother was lovely,"

"I...need to go," Duchess took a step back, and then she hastily went into the bathroom, the door slamming behind her.

At the same time, two employees at the Community Center checked the inventory to make sure everything was in stock for that night's party.

"Punch mix, check," Henry uttered aloud as he and another worker went through each cabinet. "And the other drinks are in the fridge. Harmony's gonna bring some chips, dip, and some other stuff, and then a delivery guy will be bringing a bunch of subs before the kids show up. Any questions?"

"Nope," the other worker shook her head. "Got it all down. Thank you!"

Henry grinned and fetched his bag. "You're welcome. Kindergrubber's gonna be helping you out, so you won't get confused, okay? Say, what was your name again?"

The worker faltered a bit. "Uh, Mary,"

"Well, good luck, Mary," he turned around and left, leaving 'Mary' alone.

"Phew!" Carlotta shook off Mary's form, smoothing her hair back. "I thought he'd never leave," she began to root through the cabinets once more. "Now to get my ingredients together..."

She switched the radio on and began to blare some music, and she grabbed several handfuls of the punch mix while singing to herself. _"I'm frosting, I don't need a man to make my life sweet..."_

As she retrieved a draw-string bag from her pocket, she didn't hear the sound of the doors opening over the sound of her singing and the radio. Just as she turned to grab the glass bowl from the counter, she shrieked and nearly dropped it when she saw Robert McKennitt standing right in front of her. "God! You scared me! And that's not easy to do..."

Robert nodded. "I understand that. Carlotta, do you know what you're doing?"

Carlotta snorted. "Uh, yeah. 'Course I do,"

"Hm," Robert looked at the bottle Carlotta had retrieved from the draw-string bag. "And what have you got there?"

"Acremonium," Carlotta answered proudly, holding the bottle up. "It takes the lid off the ID, as they say! Brings out the 'dark side'. Hellscream said he wanted something that would make everyone crazy and violent, so-"

"Let me stop you right there, Carlotta," Robert cut her off. "If that's the effect you want, then you're not going to use acremonium, believe me,"

Carlotta was confused. "Huh? Why?"

Robert took the bottle from her and began to explain. "You see, my son's been following this event on social media for quite some time, and he gave me a list of everyone who was going. There are a group of werewolves attending this party and do you know what acremonium is made from?" when Carlotta didn't answer, he went on. "Acremonium is made from Silver Root, which werewolves can smell from a mile away. If you spike the punch with this, the werewolves will smell it and know what it is, and they'll possibly advise everyone else to stay away from it. Therefore, your plan fails,"

Carlotta just stared at the bottle with her mouth hanging open. "Oh,"

"If Hellscream is looking for something that will really be effective," Robert went on. "Then might I suggest this?" he pulled a clear tin filled with white powder out of his pocket. "This is dried, ground mud-bark. This is what you're looking for- it is odorless, tasteless, but it triggers an abundance of different reactions from monsters. Werewolves become pure animals, vampires feel intense feelings of arousal, and other undead monsters become aggressive. However, humans will only become drowsy if they consume it. My suggestion to you is to only add this to the drinks of two monsters because two is really all we need, and this will keep everyone distracted while m family and I work towards fulfilling our part of the plan. Do not add it to the entire punch bowl, find a way to slip it into two cups. Use it sparingly,"

Now Carlotta was grinning. "Thanks, Mr. McKennitt! This is perfect," as she took the tin, she noticed an extra tooth hanging from his necklace. "Hey, you got a new tooth!"

"I did," Robert answered, fixing his jacket. "It's from last night- from a man I caught trying to kidnap a young woman. I normally don't intervene in those things, but I soon figured out that no one would be looking for him, anyway,"

"Ooh," Carlotta was amused. "Did you get to rob him?"

Robert made a face. "Why would I need his filthy money? I'm already well off. It was for sustenance, not cash," he turned to go. "I have an appointment to attend to, Carlotta. I'll see you tonight,"

"Bye!" Carlotta stashed the tin in her pocket. "This should be fun..."

* * *

 **Okay, finally! This chapter is done for now. My apologies for how rather uneventful this is, but it will get better next chapter. We're getting to the exciting part, I promise!**

 **Thoughts, comments, questions or theories? Let me know in your review!**


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31:

"You honestly don't remember anything?"

Apple pressed her face into her hands, letting out a distressed groan. "Mother, please,"

Snow continued to pry for information as her daughter lay in bed. "Please, my dearest one, try to remember! We have to find out who did this to you. Helga Crumb still refuses to speak, you see,"

"Mother," Apple looked up at her mother's face. She was tired, they were both tired. All Apple wanted to do was go back to school and socialize, but Snow had forbidden it. Despite everything, Apple felt no anger towards her mother, only exhaustion. "I swear to you, I don't remember anything. Please, I'm so tired..."

There was a long pause, and Snow sighed. "All right, then, my treasure. I'll leave you to your rest," she pulled the covers up on Apple's shoulders and gave her a kiss. "I love you very much,"

"I love you, too," Apple murmured back as Snow left the room, closing the door behind her. Yet, as Apple closed her eyes, she saw a strange vision.

It was a repressed memory, it had to be. A ring, a shiny silver ring stood out in her mind, and she could see it only by the light of a dim flashlight. There was also loud breathing and snickering. The vision faded away when she opened her eyes.

Apple sat up, her brow furrowing. "What was that?" she wondered aloud.

Elsewhere, the Community Center party had officially started, but no one would expect the night to unfold the way it was about to.

The atmosphere was tense, but only a little. Despite everything, the guests from both schools still tried to have a good time.

"Check out what I bought the other day!" Draculaura exclaimed, retrieving something from her bag. "It's a selfie stick!" she attached her iCoffin to the end of the contraption and held it up. "Let's take a picture, come on!"

Draculaura and the other girls leaned in and made silly poses as the picture snapped. They all broke out of their poses, giggling as Draculaura took the iCoffin down. "Ooh!" she cooed, looking at the result. "We look super cute!"

As the girls went back to chatting, Blondie Lockes swept in with a lit Mirror-pad in her hands. "Hey, girls! Are you having a good time?"

"Yes, thank you!" Frankie grinned, and then she noticed the Mirror-pad. "Are you recording?"

"You bet I am!" Blondie answered, chipper. "Highlights from this party are gonna be great material for my show. See ya around, I got bigger fish to fry!" and with that, she skipped off to film some other party-goers.

Raven watched her leave, but then she noticed someone else coming through the door. "Oh, no..."

Frankie glanced over to see who she was looking at. "Oh, Cleo? Don't worry, Raven. It'll be fine,"

"Yeah, come on!" Draculaura tried to assure her. "We're having a good time, and I talked to Cleo. Things will be okay!"

Despite the reassurances, Raven still felt uncomfortable. "I...have to go. Like, over there,"

Raven excused herself from the table and migrated to the TV, where the boys were gathered. She soon spotted Dexter, and she stood by him while he watched the other boys play video games.

"Hey!" Dexter exclaimed when he noticed Raven. "You good?"

Raven nodded and sipped her drink. "Uh, yeah. Hey, can you just let me hang around you so...someone doesn't bother me? Just for a little,"

"Of course!" Dexter nodded, moving over to the sofa and gesturing for Raven to sit by him.

In front of the TV, Heath sat on the floor with Humphrey Dumpty and showed him how to play a video game while everyone else watched.

"No, no, no!" Heath chewed on his nail a little as he watched Humphrey press a wrong button. "Wrong one! Mash the 'X',"

Humphrey frantically pressed the X button. "I got it, I got it!"

He didn't complete the action in time, and the screen flashed to 'GAME OVER'. "Damn it!" Heath sighed. "You wanna go again?"

"Nah," Humphrey handed the controller away. "I'm over it. Does anybody else want to try it?"

"I do!" Hunter leaped down from the couch and gratefully took the controller. "It looks pretty easy,"

Heath grinned, getting up. "Cool beans! I'll be right back, guys, I need a drink,"

He went up to the counter and poured himself a cup of orange soda, but as he turned around, he noticed Bram DeVein standing right behind him. Heath drew in a startled breath. "I...Bram? Did...what are you doing here?"

Bram looked perplexed. "Uh, you sent me an invite,"

Heath was incredibly confused- there had to be some kind of a mistake. He couldn't remember sending Bram an invite. Had Harmony done it?

"Listen, Heath, uh," Bram's eyes flittered over Heath's shoulder and made eye contact with Valentine, who simply gestured for him to continue. "I...just wanted to apologize for the Open House...thing. It was an accident, and I'm sorry,"

Heath just stood there, open-mouthed and silent. It was hard to tell if Bram was actually sorry or if he was just acting, but Heath had a feeling something bad would happen if he refused the apology. Taking a breath, Heath responded, "T-that's okay. Hey, we're here to have fun, right?" Heath tried to smile reassuringly, but it didn't work and he tried to think of a way out of the uncomfortable conversation. "You try these wings yet? They're the bomb!" when Bram turned to look at the plate of wings, Heath grabbed the soda and ran back to the other boys.

As Bram picked up a wing and inspected it, Valentine approached him. "Good, that was good. High five," he raised his hand, but Bram didn't reciprocate. "Bram?"

"Little bastard!" Bram rolled his eyes, pushing the plate away in disgust. "These are garlic wings,"

Valentine made a face. "What!? Oh, well. Hey, your girlfriend's playing pool over there," he pointed to where Gory and her friends surrounded the pool table. "Are you gonna join her?"

Bram shrugged. "Maybe. Yeah, I think I will,"

Valentine watched Bram leave, and then he stopped to pour himself a drink. He was about to get a cup of punch, but decided against it and poured some lemonade instead. As he leaned against the wall and sipped the drink, Cupid noticed him and decided to strike up some conversation.

"Hey, Val!" Cupid smiled, joining him against the wall. "I didn't think you'd come!"

Valentine smiled back. "Well, I figured I spend way too much time by myself, so I thought I'd go out,"

There was a pause, and then Cupid asked, "Did you bring a date?"

"I did, in fact!" Valentine pointed out Lizzie at the Wonderlandians' table. "She's right there,"

Cupid looked to where he was pointing. "Lizzie?" she glanced up at Valentine, surprised. "You're dating Lizzie Hearts?"

Valentine corrected her. "No, no, we're not dating, I just walked her here and I'm giving her a ride back. There's no romance here,"

"Oh," Cupid felt oddly relieved for some reason. Why was that? "Well, if you ever need anything-"

"Kieran!" Lizzie's voice broke in, calling Valentine. "Come meet my friends!"

"Okay, I'll be right there!" he turned back to Cupid. "I'll be fine, thank you,"

"All right," Cupid replied in a quiet voice as Valentine headed towards Lizzie."I'll...be here,"

At another table, Ginger Breadhouse fiddled with her handbag as she stared at the she-wolf before her.

"T-thanks for inviting me," Ginger stammered, pushing her hair back. "This is kinda cool,"

The wolf, a blond-furred beauty named Malia, grinned at Ginger. "Thanks for coming on down. You sure you weren't gonna bring any of your snacks?"

"Oh, no," Ginger shook her head. "The invitation said food would be provided, so I didn't want to...uh, upstage anyone,"

Malia nodded. "I get it, I get it. Say, where's your date?"

Ginger looked around. "Um...with the other boys, I think," she finally spotted him. "He's there by the counter,"

"Oh, okay. Would you mind if we moved? My pack is over by the window,"

Ginger noticed someone else behind the counter, and she had a thought. "Um, actually, I'm gonna go with my date,"

Malia tilted her head. "Really? All right, but you know where to find me,"

Gus Crumb took a bite out of a frosted, store-bought cookie as Ginger walked up to him, and he turned to look at her. "Ginger?"

"Hey, Gus," she kept her voice low. "Who is that woman?"

Gus squinted at the name tag of the old woman behind the counter, who was pouring more cups of water. "She's...Kindergrubber, I think is what her card says,"

Ginger had a feeling it was her. "Okay," she took a nervous breath, and she glanced at the cookie Gus was holding. "Is that good?"

"No," Gus sounded disappointed. "It tastes a bit like wax,"

The cookie didn't even look real. Ginger wrinkled her nose and began to question her decision about not bringing any baked goods. Nevertheless, she drew in another breath and stepped behind the counter.

Ms. Kindergrubber didn't even look up from what she was doing when Ginger approached. "If you aren't a worker, you don't belong here, little one,"

Ginger felt herself force a laugh. "Hah! N-no, I just wanted to talk to you,"

The old woman looked up and squinted at Ginger, her lips pursed together. "Eh? Why?"

"Because..." Ginger tried to think of how to word what she was about to say. "Your daughter, Candy, is my mother. Well, her real name is Candace, but..." when the only answer was silence, Ginger tried to continue. "That makes me...your granddaughter. Right?"

Kindergrubber set down the water jug, staring intently into Ginger's eyes. "It _is_ you," she responded after a moment, her voice quiet in awe. "Your skin- it's dark, like Wilson's,"

"Wilson?" Ginger's eyes widened. "Who's that? Is that my father?"

"You best be off, child," Kindergrubber cleared her throat, rooting through her apron pockets. "Uh, here- some sugar daises," she handed her some strange, crystallized flowers. "For good luck,"

Ginger tried to argue. "But-!"

"Off with you!" Kindergrubber gestured for her to leave.

Gus watched as Ginger walked out of the kitchen and stopped by the counter, leaning against it. He tried to comfort her. "Ginger, do you...?"

Ginger didn't wait for him to finish- she was clearly upset. "I just need some air," she managed finally, turning to the back door.

"Your dad actually let you come?"

Cerise smiled to herself as she sipped her drink. "Nope,"

Clawdeen still seemed to be in disbelief. "But...what if he finds out?"

"He won't," Cerise lowered her cup, grinning. "Ramona won't tell. She's not even here,"

"Good for you!" praised Brocko, holding up his hand. "High-five!"

As Cerise gleefully reciprocated the gesture, another wolf sat beside them. "Hiya!" greeted Malia. "How's everyone?"

"Great! Oh, Cerise," Brocko got her attention and pointed to Malia. "Cerise, this is my sister, Malia,"

Malia reached out and shook Cerise's hand. "Hi, how are you?"

"I'm good," Cerise turned to Brocko, grinning. "I've been hanging out with your brother,"

Malia rolled her eyes. "Ugh, you have the patience of a saint. Look at him- do you see what he's doing?"

Confused, Cerise turned around to see what Malia was talking about, only to see that Brocko was scratching his neck with his back foot- like a dog would.

"Sorry!" he looked embarrassed when he realized he was being watched. "I just...have this really bad itch on my neck,"

Romulus, who'd been listening, chimed in, "Yeah, you gotta watch out for itches like that. My cousin had a bad itch a while back, and he had to get tested for...what's it called?"

"Lyme disease?" Malia shrugged, and Romulus nodded.

"Yeah, that! Anyway..."

As Romulus continued, Cerise noticed Brocko scratching the carpet with his nails. He did it in such a way that Cerise became concerned.

"Brocko?" she asked, but he didn't seem to hear her.

This was only the start of things.


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32:

 **Warning: there's a bit of strong language ahead. Just a heads up if you are bothered by that.**

Now, here's an odd scenario: you're hanging out with this dreamy boy and some friends, and everything's going just peachy until it happens- he begins acting like an actual dog. He's sniffing the floor, crawling around on all fours, and he's already attempted to urinate on something once. What do you do?

This was the situation Cerise Hood found herself in as she hovered over Brocko, who was behaving in an unnatural way. She gritted her teeth as she pulled him away from a cheese puff lying on the floor.

"No, no, no!" she hissed, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt. "We don't eat food on the floor!" She had no idea what was happening, and she wasn't sure how to deal with it.

Brocko whined and strained away from her, trying in vain to reach the cheese puff. Cerise glanced around, hoping that no one was watching. She wasn't really sure why she didn't want anyone to see, maybe because she feared they'd blame it on her.

However, the other wolves had already seen what was happening, and so had some Ever After students. The Ever After students were concerned about the situation, while the wolves believed that Brocko was just messing with Cerise.

Thinking fast, Cerise tugged Brocko towards the counter, where she snatched a handful of cheese puffs from the bowl and handed them to him, hoping that would pacify him. "Here! Look, treats!"

"Uh, hey, Cerise," It was Cedar Wood, and she looked confused. "Is...everything all right?"

Cerise groaned. "No! I don't know what's happening- he was fine a minute ago, and now I have to babysit him! What's going on!?"

Cedar shrugged. "I don't know anything about werewolves. You might wanna ask a monster student for help,"

Brocko had finished the cheese puffs, and he'd caught the scent of more food on the counter. Without warning, he leaped up to the table and went for the cheese puff bowl, and Cerise tried to stop him. "Stop!"

She managed to pull him back, but he panicked when he felt her grab him, so he whirled around and tackled her with a snarl. Yelping, Cerise struggled to her feet, only to find that he'd torn the front of her dress wide open, exposing her completely. Not only that, but her hood had fallen down in the process, so two parts of her were now open for everyone to see: her wolf ears, and her body. And everyone in that area had gotten an eyeful of both.

Cerise couldn't move. Even though she saw Blondie filming her, she couldn't move. The tears burned her eyes as Clawdeen came running up.

"Brocko!" growled Clawdeen, grabbing him. "What the hell's the matter with you!? If this is a prank, you're going way too far!"

Brocko began barking, and Clawdeen lost her patience. She raised her hand and struck him, hard. "Stop it!"

With that one slap, Brocko's strange trance seemingly lifted. He blinked, confused.

"What happened?" he murmured, touching his face and looking up at Clawdeen. "Did you hit me?"

"Yeah, you bet your ass I did!" Clawdeen scolded, grabbing his ear. "What's wrong with you!? Running around acting like a dog, and then ripping this poor girl's dress! This had better not be a prank!"

Brocko seemed genuinely confused. "What are you talking about? What-" he then noticed Cerise, and he stood up quickly. "Oh, my God! Cerise!" he pushed past Clawdeen and placed a hand on Cerise's shoulder. "Did something happen!?"

Cerise tensed up, and the tears began to fall. "Yeah, something happened!" she blurted out, choking on her words. "You just ruined me, you dumb mutt!" she shook herself out of his grip, turned away and stormed towards the bathroom, pulling the hood around her head while sobbing.

Brocko stood there, dumbfounded until Blondie stepped up to him.

"Um..." she cleared her throat, turning the Mirror-pad towards him. "Maybe you should watch the video,"

Farther away from the commotion, a group of vampires chatted while playing a game of pool. Everything was going fine, it seemed until Gory finished her turn and set the stick down. The moment she turned away from the table, Bram came up behind her and trapped her in a bear hug.

"Hmm," he sighed, nuzzling her hair and kissing her. "You smell so good,"

Gory stiffened, raising a brow. "Really? You're doing this now?"

Bram kissed down her neck, murmuring, "C'mon, baby, you look so good right now. I just wanna do something real quick,"

"Bram!" Gory wrestled away from him, clenching her fist. "What's your deal!? We're in public, and you damn near start snogging me!?"

The other vampires started cackling, and Bram realized with a pang of embarrassment that they'd seen everything. He tried to save himself. "L-listen, I was just-"

"Shut up!" snapped Gory, turning away and crossing her arms. "I love you, but I came here for a party, you see? Now, you leave me alone,"

Humiliated as he listened to the others giggle, Bram awkwardly shuffled away with his hands in his pockets. He wasn't sure where he wanted to go, but he felt his body tense up again when one of Gory's friends sneered, "Yeah, just you and your hand tonight, buddy! You just got told!"

Deuce, tucked away in a separate corner of the room, heard that statement and winced. "Damn,"

Smokey made a whining noise and nudged Deuce's arm, and Deuce handed him a handful of popcorn. "Here you go, little dude,"

Sparrow Hood stared blankly at the dragon. "So, does he...do anything? The dragons in Ever After can race and do stuff,"

"Oh, yeah!" Deuce held up a corner of a sandwich and waved it over Smokey's head. "Smokey! Dance!"

Tongue lolling to the side of his mouth, Smokey stood up on his back legs and wagged his tail, huffing. Deuce chuckled and gave him the sandwich. "Good job!"

Cleo, who sat tucked into Deuce's arm, knitted her brows together. "I still don't see why you had to bring your dragon. This place has rules about pets, you know,"

"Yeah, but," Deuce tucked a finger beneath Smokey's collar, revealing a shiny gold medallion. "I had him registered as an emotional support animal, so it's fine!"

"You can do that here?" asked Daring Charming, astounded.

Rosabella Beauty just looked at Daring and smirked. "You're _my_ emotional support beast,"

Cleo made a face. "Of course he is," she muttered under her breath, turning away.

Deuce glanced at Cleo, concerned. "You okay?"

"Yeah, yeah," Cleo crossed her arms, glaring at nothing in particular. Deuce felt her quivering slightly against him- something was definitely not right.

"Hey, Cleo!" a blonde girl with colored stripes in her hair swept in and sat right beside Cleo and Deuce. "Remember me?"

Cleo tilted her head. "Can't say I do,"

"I'm Courtly Jester! You said you liked my nightgown,"

"Oh..." Cleo looked down at her iCoffin, avoiding eye contact. "Did I say that?"

Courtly nodded. "You did!" she scanned Cleo up and down with her eyes. "My friends and I think you're very pretty,"

Deuce could sense that Cleo felt frustrated, so he waved Courtly off. "Hah, Cleo really appreciates the compliment, but she's not feeling too well,"

"I understand!" Courtly nodded again and sprung away. "See you around!"

Courtly arrived back at her friends' table, reclaiming her chair. "I talked to her!"

Duchess stabbed at some pizza with a plastic fork. "And?"

"She's not well, but I think there is the potential to be friends! What could I do to win her over?" Courtly pondered, her hand on her chin. "I know! Maybe I'll make a dress for her,"

Fayebelle Thorn snorted, not looking up at her Mirror-Pad. "Yeah. Yeah, okay, you do that,"

Back by the TV, Duece pulled Cleo towards him. "Babe, what's wrong? Do you need me to take you home?"

Cleo put her hands on her face and groaned. "Ugh! I don't know what's wrong with me! Deuce, I need to punch something,"

Deuce looked around and grabbed a throw pillow. He held it up, and Cleo socked her fist into it a few times. "Better?" Deuce inquired once she'd finished.

"No," Cleo huffed once more, looking away. Something farther away caught her attention, and her eyes narrowed. "Actually, I know what might help,"

"What?" Deuce stood up as Cleo began to walk away, and he followed her. "Cleo, come back!"

One lone streetlight flickered outside behind the Community Center, and Ginger Breadhouse watched it mournfully as she sat out on the back steps. Her tears gathered up once more, and she blinked them back as her body quivered. She stared down at her mother's contact information on the Mirror-Pad, her finger hovering over the _'call'_ button. She wanted to tell Candy about the interaction with Ms. KinderGrubber, but she had a feeling she knew how it would go:

 _"Mother?"_

 _"Yeah, baby?"_

 _"Grandma wouldn't talk to me,"_

 _"She's a bitch. You don't need her, okay? Wipe those tears and have a good time,"_

 _"But-"_

 _"I got stuff to do. Love you,"_

 _"...love you, too,"_

Ginger curled her hand into a fist and switched the Mirror-Pad off. She leaned against the railing and closed her eyes, wondering how this night could get any worse.

"Ginger?" a wispy voice in the darkness called.

Her eyes re-opened. She lifted her head up, her heart rate increasing. "Hello?"

Silence. Ginger looked around her area, but all she could hear was the howling of the wind. She stared into the dark tangle of trees several feet away, waiting.

"Ginger!" the voice called again, but now, there seemed to be another voice as well, calling her.

That was when Ginger saw them: two figures, tall but thin and intimidating. They stood on the empty sidewalk, illuminated by the streetlight.

"Pretty girl!" they sang, their hands tucked behind their backs. "Was it family you were wishing for?"

Ginger felt as though she couldn't move. "W...who are you!? How do you know my name!?"

The strangers spoke in unison. "We're your family, Ginger! Your second cousins. Our mother wanted us to meet you," they stepped closer and revealed their faces: they were male and female, perhaps in their late teens. They appeared to be twins. "So here we are!"

All of the sudden, their faces distorted, and they grew huge teeth and claws. In a panic, Ginger recognized what they were, and her mind flipped back to a drawing she'd seen in an old book. "You're- you're _WENDIGO!_ "

She shot up instantly and rushed back inside, the snickering of the twins echoing behind her. She cried out for help, but her cries went unheard due to the commotion that was taking place already.

"For the last time," Raven's voice shook as she backed away from Cleo. "I am _not_ going to fight you!"

Cleo smirked. "Oh, really? I thought you were supposed to be the next Evil Queen. Look at me- I'm just an undead princess! You can take me,"

When Cleo said this, Maddie stepped in. "Leave Raven alone! She's ever done anything to you,"

"Yes, she has!" Cleo snapped back. "How do we know she didn't attack Apple herself!? And besides- Ghoulia told me that she's still in contact with her mother!"

"No, I'm not!" Raven argued back. "I saw her that once in the woods!"

Cleo ignored Raven. "As for you, _Maddie,_ " she sneered, pulling out her change purse. "Buy your dad some better teeth. Actually, no- he'll just use the money to buy crack, won't he!?"

Maddie pursed her lips together, clearly trying not to cry. "No- you need that money for your new set of breasts!"

At this point, Deuce tried to intervene. "Okay, you need to stop-"

He came in too late. Cleo balled her right fist and punched Maddie in the face, knocking her to the ground and bloodying her mouth. Deuce grabbed Cleo's wrists and held her back. "Cleo, _STOP!_ "

She turned to glare at him, and Deuce then noticed how incredibly dilated her pupils had become. This wasn't her- something was really off.

As Maddie tried to regain her composure, the other Wonderlandians came to her aid right away. Alistair helped her up from the floor as Bunny handed her a handkerchief for her bleeding mouth.

"Maddie, come on," Alistair encouraged gently. "Let's go call Hatter- he'll come get you,"

However, Maddie's other friends took a different approach.

Kitty leaped from some unknown spot on the ceiling and tackled Cleo, screaming, " _YOU DARE STRIKE ONE OF MY FRIENDS!? YOU WILL FEEL MY WRATH, YOU BIMBO!_ "

As Kitty tussled on the ground with Cleo, Toralei ran up with her iCoffin in her hands. "Kick her ass, baby!" Toralei called, videotaping the altercation. "This is going online!"

Deuce tried to separate them but was unsuccessful when Lizzie began threatening him with a knife.

"Is that your girlfriend?!" Lizzie chided, jabbing the knife dangerously close to Deuce's neck. "Are you trying to save your pig of a woman, you nasty reptile? I swear, I will skin your head for boots!"

In the midst of all this violence and confusion, Ginger came running in. "Everyone stop! There are Wendigo here! There's danger!"

A huge cloud of black smoke began to fill the room, and all the lights switched off. There was nothing but darkness, and everyone stopped in their tracks.

"What's going on!?"

"Who's doing this?"

"Anyone have a light?"

Almost instantly, the lights returned and the smoke cleared. Standing before the doors were four figures- a man, a woman, and two teenagers.

The man stepped forward, grinning. "Hello, children! My name is Robert McKennitt. This is my family, and we're going to play a game with you,"

* * *

 **What's this!? An update!? Yes! I haven't updated in awhile, so I thought I'd just give you guys this. I'll edit it later when I have the time, as there are probably a few grammar errors here and there. I don't know, I have work to do and I'm going to decorate my house later.**

 **Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving if you celebrate that! Kinda glad it's over, as I'm ready for Christmas and now we can focus on that.**

 **Thanks for reading! Any questions, comments, or theories? Let me know in your review and I will address you if I am able. See you in the next update!**


	33. Chapter 33

_To my beloved cat, Apolo_

 _Died December 6th, 2017_

* * *

Chapter 33:

Robert paced among the crowd of teenagers, his arms swinging at his waist. "The rules of this game are simple- my dear wife, Hazel, will place a spell on all the windows and doors that will make them impossible to open, and all of you will have to find a means of escaping,"

Just as he had said, Hazel raised her hand in a dainty fashion and wiggled her fingers. A green light flashed on every door and window, and the sounds of locking could be heard.

Robert went on. "However, there is one sure way to escape," he passed Cupid, and she noticed the numbers ' _089'_ inscribed on his wrist. "If somebody dies in this building, the doors and windows will automatically open and you will be free," he shrugged, smirking. "Something to consider, eh? Now," he gestured to Hazel. "Send them away,"

Hazel delicately raised her hand once more, and in an instant, all the students found themselves scattered within different areas of the building.

Cupid lifted her head up in a panic, looking around. "Wha...what happened!?"

She recognized the space as the Community Center's library, a small room filled with books of an undiscernible age and with walls covered in posters. Cupid recalled Clawdeen saying this was where her mother's bible-study meetings took place.

Cupid soon realized she wasn't alone, as Raven stumbled over and grabbed her for support. "Cupid! Where are we!?"

"The library," Frankie struggled up off the floor, re-attaching her arm. "One of the only places in this building that doesn't have windows,"

Draculaura whimpered, looking around. "It wouldn't make a difference, anyway. Oh, where's Clawd!? I'm so scared!"

Abbey clicked her tongue, leaning against the wall. "Clawd is fine, I believe. So, who can we kill?"

In a rage, Darling Charming pulled out her sword. "Curb your tongue or I will strike you down!" she tucked the blade beneath Abbey's chin. "Nobody's going to die!"

"Really?" Abbey pushed the blade away, disgusted. "Then why do you threaten me?"

"Girls!" Cupid snapped, stopping them. "Girls, please. Not now...we have to find a way out of here!"

As Cupid began to dig through her bag, Darling sighed and stepped away from Abbey. "I apologize. Who was that man?"

"I'm not entirely sure," explained Frankie. "But I know what he is. He's a Wendigo- they eat people. They're not very common in New Salem, and Bloodgood banned them from ever entering Monster High. They're too unstable, too dangerous," she pulled a book titled _100 Facts about Wendigo_ from one of the shelves. "They're from southern countries, and they're not easy to kill,"

Raven suddenly had an idea. "Wait! Frankie, do they have any natural predators?"

Frankie pursed her lips together. "Um...I don't know, let me look," she flipped through the book. "Let's see...ah!" she pointed to a picture of a strange-looking beast. "This is the Ahuizotl! They aren't the natural predator of the Wendigo, but they could overpower a Wendigo pretty easily! Too bad they're extinct,"

Darling looked confused. "Extinct?"

"Yes, monster hunters hunted the Ahuizotl to near extinction," Draculaura answered sadly. "Even if they were still here, how we would manage to get one?"

Raven took the book from Frankie and laid it face up on the floor, clearing a space around it. "I have an idea, but I need time and materials!" she glanced around. "Are there any candles?"

"Yeah," Cupid responded, wondering what Raven could be up to. "There should be a box in the closet,"

"I'll need about six!" Raven made a run for the closet door. "Trust me, I know what I'm doing,"

At this same time, a group of Ever Afterians found themselves in the Community Center's basement, a place that was unfamiliar to them.

"How big is this place, anyway!?" Hunter gritted his teeth as he tried to pry off the air vent's cover. "Come on, it can't be that hard to get out of here!"

He let out a yell when the hard covering chipped his nail, and Ashlynn grabbed his hand and yanked it away. "Hunter, don't hurt yourself!"

Nearby, Dexter sat hunched over his Mirror-pad, tapping it frantically. "Blocked," he concluded after a moment, defeated. "Something's blocking my signal. I can't contact anyone. This is really bad..."

Daring, his brother, glanced towards the door to an adjacent room marked 'Faculty Office', and he went to it without a thought. "Perhaps we can find a solution in here!"

He pushed the door open and stepped in, looking around and noticing a computer. Quickly, he pulled up the chair and sat down, pressing random keys in a desperate attempt to find help.

"Daring," Rosebella stood in the doorway, watching him with nervous eyes. "What are you doing?"

"Trying to get this damned thing to work!" when the computer beeped once again, Daring snarled in frustration. "Why is the technology in this world so confusing!?"

Rosabella leaned in to see what he was doing. "You're just pressing random buttons,"

"That works sometimes!" Daring exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air. "For the love of all that is holy, what am I supposed to do!?"

At this point, Rosabella curled her hand into a fist. "You could start by controlling your temper!"

Daring smashed his large hand on the keyboard one more time, and then he slumped back in the chair. "We're going to die here," he groaned, covering his face.

Rosabella leaned against him, wrapping her slim arms around his shoulders. "No," she assured in her gentle voice. "We will not. You are a Charming- please do not give up,"

There was silence, but only for a moment, as the computer beeped once more. Suddenly, an array of six different images appeared on the screen, each showing a different room.

Daring lifted his head up, his brow furrowing. "What the...?"

Outside the door, the others were unwilling to give up.

"Shoo!" Briar muttered under her breath as she swatted away a fly. She went through a few boxes of random items, rooting around for something. "There's gotta be a map or some kind of hint, somewhere in here! Goodness, this place is uncomfortable," she made a face as she pulled out a nasty sock puppet. "Ew, what's this thing!?"

Ginger Breadhouse stood nearby, and she noticed a small box labeled, _Emergency Keys_ on the top shelf. Yet, when she retrieved the box and opened it, it was empty.

"Strange," she murmured to herself. "Why have a door but no keys?"

She felt something prodding on her shoulder, and she soon realized that it was Gus. He twitched nervously, a toolbox clutched in his hands.

"Perhaps this would help?" he suggested, holding it up to Ginger.

Briar looked up at the sound of Gus' voice, and her eyes narrowed. "Oh, _no_ you don't! I don't trust you one bit, you stale end piece of white bread!"

Gus flinched at the insult, and Ginger attempted to defend him. "H-he's not doing anything wrong,"

"Not at the moment," Hunter stepped in, eyeing Gus suspiciously. "Where's Helga, anyway? Isn't your cousin constantly glued to you?"

"I...I don't-"

Briar cut Gus off. "You don't what? Listen, the person Apple saw before she got attacked was Helga. You and I both know that someone probably offered her a cupcake so she'd lure Apple into that creepy basement. You have to know something,"

"Please don't start this now," Dexter called from a few feet away as he tried to get the Mirror-Pad going.

Just as Gus was considering an escape, the basement door upon the stairs swung open. Everyone stopped, staring in the direction of the door and waiting in silence.

A few seconds later, a masculine voice called down, "Anyone down there?"

Dexter perked up, recognizing the voice. "Clawd! Yes, there aren't many of us down here,"

Sure enough, Clawd came nearly running down the stairs, with Heath, Gil, Lagoona, and Manny trailing behind him. Clawd stopped at the bottom of the stairs, his eyes scanning the Ever Afterians who stood before him.

"Are you guys okay!?" he asked, almost frantic. "Have you found anyone else?"

"Nope, just us," Hunter responded, pacing a bit. "We've just been trying to escape this nightmare of a building, how about you?"

Heath gave a defeated sigh and sank down on a cardboard box. "Damn it, I did this. I thought everyone could get along if we just had fun, but now there's a crazy guy going all Hunger Games on us! We're dead,"

Lagoona put a reassuring hand on Heath's shoulder. "Don't blame yourself, Heath, it won't improve anything,"

All of the sudden, Daring poked his head out of the office door and called to the monsters, "Thank goodness you're here! Come quickly, I've made a discovery,"

Gil, Clawd, and Heath entered the office, watching as Daring pointed to the screen. "I hit a random key, and this happened. Could you please explain what it is?"

Clawd gently pushed Daring away, sitting in the office chair and staring at the screen pensively. "Security cameras," he confirmed after a moment. "See, each screen is a different place in this building- there's the Commons Room, where we just were a while ago, there's the Entertainment Center, the Library..."

Dexter, who had just walked in, looked at the screen and remarked, "Too bad Humphrey's not with us, he loves this kind of stuff,"

Something caught Gil's eye, and he pointed to the Commons Room. "Who's that? There's someone watching TV in there, and I don't recognize them,"

Clawd reached for the mouse. "Hang on," he clicked on the room, and the entire screen filled with the image of the Commons Room. Sure enough, the Wendigo twins sat on the couch and watched a TV program as they ate the leftover pizza from the kitchen. Clawd squinted at the screen. "What are they watching?" he clicked a button towards the bottom titled 'audio', and some fuzzy sound came through the computer speakers.

"And now, _The Sculptor's Clay-ground,_ " a voice from the TV announced, and the female twin made a noise of disgust.

"Ew, I don't wanna watch your artsy thing!" she reached for a bottle of soda, but her brother smacked her hand away.

"No soda!" he barked. "You'll get Lynk's disease,"

Upon hearing this, Heath did a strange laugh, but the others seemed to ignore him.

Clawd's ears twitched, and he leaned closer to the speakers. "I hear someone else," he murmured, pressing on one of the arrow keys.

The camera panned over to the kitchen, revealing Robert and Hazel engaging in some sort of discussion. Hazel leaned against the kitchen counter while Robert talked very seriously about something.

"If we keep doing things based on how you 'feel'," Robert was saying as Clawd turned the volume up. "We'll have a difficult time, Hazel,"

Hazel shook her head, flexing her fingers. "My dear, I just cannot trust Van Hellscream. I fear that the lives of ourselves and our children's lives are at stake, here,"

Robert sighed. "If you need to me to be honest, I do not trust Hellscream either. Yet, what choice do we have?"

"Whatever do you mean, Robert?" Hazel sounded confused. "If you distrust him, then why work with him?"

"I already told you," Robert growled. "This is to sully Nora Bloodgood's reputation and ruin her life. She's nothing but a snake who hates our kind!"

Hazel groaned. "Robert, I thought you'd forgotten that! Nora isn't worth it, trust me,"

Just then, there was a yell and a crash from the other room, and the boys who were huddled around the computer whipped their heads around to look. Daring stood up and ran in the direction of the noise. "What was that!?"

In the corner of the room, Gus lay huddled with the toolbox beside him, and the tools were strewn about. As Gus wept, Manny Taur stood over him and began to scold him.

"This was your fault!" Manny barked, his fists clenched. "They all think it was us because you're such a little pushover! Now, tell me where your stupid cousin is or I'll give you something to _really_ cry about!"

When Gus just kept sobbing, Heath ran up and tried to pull Manny away. "Dude, what the hell!? You made this kid cry!?"

"It's his own fault!" Hunter argued. "Gus, all we need from you is what your cousin has to do with this. That's all! No need to be so over-dramatic!"

Ginger knelt down beside Gus and held him protectively, looking up at Hunter with a defiant gaze. "He's not being over-dramatic! He's sensitive,"

Manny just snorted with great contempt. "Sensitive?"

"Yeah, Manny," Clawd crossed his arms and gave him a stern look. "Sensitive- like when you cried after Abbey beat you in arm wrestling that one time!"

Manny stiffened, and he balled his fists. "Oh, you wanna go!?"

"Guys!" Lagoona tried to be the voice of reason in this confusion. "Guys, this is just what they want!"

The door above them slammed, and the pitter-patter of footsteps came rushing down the stairs. "Children! Children!"

Heath turned around, gasping. "Ms. Kindergrubber!"

Ms. Kindergrubber reached the bottom of the stairs, pausing for a few seconds to take in the scene before her. "What have you done!?" she hurried to Gus, kneeling beside him and touching his cheek. "Are you all right?"

Gus looked rather embarrassed, wiping at his cheeks and eyes. "Y-yes, ma'am,"

"Here," she offered him a handkerchief, and then she turned back to the others, a look of pure anger in her eyes. "You should be ashamed of yourselves! This is what Robert wants you to do- to hurt and kill each other in the name of freedom!"

The others remained silent, exchanging nervous glances with one another as Ms. Kindergrubber continued. "Children, I can assure you: I have had a foot in both of your worlds, and neither is perfect, but neither are all terrible. Ever After is where I was born, but here is where I've chosen to live. Now, you have the same world, and the only way to fight for this world is to work together!"

After a pause, Clawd took a step forward. "Ms. Kindergrubber? Um...how, exactly, are you from Ever After?"

Ms. Kindergrubber remained silent, and then she turned to look at Ginger. Ginger's lips parted slightly, and she blinked as she locked eyes with her grandmother. As Kindergrubber slowly knelt down on the floor, she put an arm around Ginger and beckoned the others to come closer. "We'll be here awhile, loves," she said in a soft voice. "I'll tell you the story; I have time,"


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34:

 **Warning: This chapter contains mentions of cannibalism. If you are senstive about this, proceed with caution.**

The story Ms. Kindergrubber told the children went like this:

Eighteen, fresh out of Ever After High, and put on a path to follow her destiny as the next Candy Witch, young Ingrid doubted her destiny. She didn't exactly want to be a cannibal witch living alone in a house made of sugary food. Her mother had grown frustrated with her, and almost every day she would prepare pork chops so Ingrid would grow to like the taste of meat. Despite her mother's efforts, Ingrid still rejected her destiny. At one point, there was even talk of shifting her destiny to Gerda, Ingrid's younger sister.

Before that could happen, though, Ingrid's mother died. Gerda, fourteen at the time, went to live in an orphanage, and Ingrid was alone. When she moved into the infamous Gingerbread House, she realized with dismay that she would end up having to face her destiny. She attempted to condition herself into liking meat by continuing to buy pork, but she'd almost never end up finishing it. She would leave it in the woods behind the Gingerbread House, and she developed quite the compost pile. Soon, she began growing a garden from the discarded food scraps.

Her one joy in life became that garden, and she'd always go out to water it and leave the food scraps for the soil to absorb. With nothing else to do, she began selling the tomatoes she grew for a profit.

One morning, when she went to water her plants, she noticed something odd: the scraps of pork she'd left were gone. It was impossible for them to decompose overnight, and she wondered if she'd attracted some kind of animal, like a raccoon or a bobcat. The other scraps remained untouched, but still, she decided to put up a fence around the plants. Once again, the next morning, the pork disappeared, but everything else was still there. Now Ingrid was getting concerned. Whatever was stealing the pork was able to climb the fence, and not only that, had managed to leave behind about six apples the pork had been. After checking them to make sure they weren't poisoned, Ingrid made the apples into pies and sold them.

This went on for quite a while, about a whole month. Ingrid left out pork scraps and the next morning, there would always be something in their place. Usually, it was apples, but there were also peaches, rhubarb stalks, oranges, and once even a whole pumpkin. Ingrid would then use the gifts to make her baked goods, which had actually helped her make a profit at the market. One night, as she was laying the pork scraps out, her curiosity got the best of her. She decided to see what had been exchanging fruit for meat these past several weeks.

At around midnight, a malformed, skinny creature crept to the garden with what appeared to be a basket in its claws. Upon seeing it, Ingrid felt repulsed, yet she never tore her gaze away. The creature laid some apples and carrots down in the soil, and it gathered the meat in its hands and sat in the grass. As it devoured the pork scraps, Ingrid soon realized something: it was becoming more and more humanoid the more it ate. In fact, as it reached for the last piece, it shifted into a human. Not only that, but Ingrid could see through the lantern's light he was a very handsome and dark-skinned man, with strange braids knotted in his hair like snakes.

He finished the last pork scrap and started to leave, but Ingrid wasn't going to let him. She went to the back door, opening it and calling out, "Whereabouts did you come from?"

Surprised, the man turned to look at her. After a moment, he asked, "Pardon?" He had a strange accent Ingrid had never heard before.

She rephrased the question. "Where are you from?"

"From another world," Came the simple response.

There was a pause, and then Ingrid took a step forward. "Would you...would you like to come in? You've left me such lovely things,"

He straightened up, the basket still in his hands. "Yes," he answered, entering the Gingerbread House with much caution.

His name was Wilson. He was twenty-two years old, and he was a creature known as a Wendigo. Wilson explained that, in a normal setting, he would eat humans, but he refused to do so and stuck to pork, which was similar. He'd come from a whole other world through a portal, a world he had to escape. The people there were evil, he said, and they were cruel to Wendigo and used them for sick experiments. Wilson showed her a tattoo on his wrist, which read _'037',_ and he told her that the number was the name the humans gave him. He'd had three names throughout his life: his birth name, which he did not remember, the number, and then 'Wilson', which he had named himself. He said he had to leave the first world but abandon his little brother, and he hoped he could go back and get him someday.

Because Wilson was homeless, Ingrid opened her home to him and told him he could stay with her as long as he needed. He thanked her for her generosity and took up the offer, although he admitted living in a candy house was bizarre at first.

What the two shared was a deep friendship that continued for the rest of the year. They made a living off of selling baked goods and other types of food at the market, though Wilson was not fond of sweets. Looking back, Ingrid wondered if Wilson loved her, but there was no way of knowing that, now. They would stay up late in the night, talking or watching the woods from the window, and it was a type of relationship Ingrid swore she would never again have in her life.

Ingrid's nineteenth birthday came. She discovered a gift on the table, and she opened it to find a green scarf Wilson had brought with his own money. After breakfast, he took her out on the town and helped pay for a lovely new dress, and then they went for a ferry ride on the lake. Once they returned home from lunch at a cafe, Ingrid considered herself to be the happiest girl on earth until Wilson told her, "We need to talk, Ingrid,"

Ingrid's good mood faded away when she saw the serious look on his face. "Wilson, what's wrong? Whatever is the matter?"

He took a breath. "Ingrid, I'll soon have to leave you,"

Her heart dropped. "What...how can you be so sure!?"

"I'm a Wendigo," he explained, his voice thick. "I can't keep surviving on only pork. Soon, I'll lose my mind, and I may end up eating you. I have to go soon,"

Ingrid felt like she couldn't breathe. "But...but you've always eaten pork! You told me..."

"I didn't tell you the whole truth," he leaned against the table and looked away. "When the people imprisoned me, they fed me human flesh at least once a week. It's still a mystery about where it came from, but you can imagine how accustom I came to eating it. I thought pork could keep me sane, but it hasn't. I'm craving human meat more and more. Ingrid, you aren't safe with me anymore,"

"I...I still don't understand," she swallowed against the tightness in her throat. She then had a thought. "Wait! My destiny requires me to be a cannibal, but maybe instead of catching humans for myself, I could-"

"No, Ingrid," he answered, his voice gruff. "I refuse to eat anyone, especially children,"

Ingrid fumbled with her hands. "But...I could..."

Wilson took her hand, and he caressed it with his thumb. "It hurts me to leave you, but it's for your safety. I may not need to leave for another few weeks,"

Another thought hit Ingrid. "Well, before you go...could you do something for me?"

A smile broke on his face. Ingrid did not realize it at the time, but he would have given her the moon if he could. All she had to do was ask. "What would that be?"

Somewhat hesitant, she reached up and put her arms around his neck, looking into his eyes. "Marry me,"

Wilson did not seem to understand. "What? You're proposing to me?"

"Well..." Ingrid flushed and covered her face. "M-maybe not. It was a silly idea, I should-"

He cut her off by kissing her for the very first time, and she knew that their feelings were mutual. That night, he had union with her in his bed, and it was something she'd remember forever.

Life seemed to continue as it in the past, yet nothing would ever be the same again. Every morning, she woke up and wondered if this was the day Wilson would leave her, but she always found him cooking breakfast for them. It almost scared her to bring up what he'd said, as she wanted to pretend that things could be this normal all the time.

As the days wore on, another feeling of change bloomed in Ingrid, and she didn't know what it was or how to tell Wilson. Months later, when Wilson returned from a three-hour market trip, he found Ingrid lying on the floor with a wailing baby girl in her arms.

The way Ingrid remembered the event, Wilson didn't say a word. He lifted her into her bed, cleaned their daughter up, and then lay beside both of them in complete silence. As Ingrid began to fall asleep with the baby in her arms, she heard Wilson mutter. "Damn it. What now?"

She woke up the next morning to find him gone. All he'd left behind was an envelope full of money and a note that read, _"A thousand apologies, my dear family. And may God forgive me, because I cannot forgive myself,"_

Once again, Ingrid was on her own, but now she had a child to take care of. She and Candy would continue to live in the Gingerbread House until Ingrid fulfilled her destiny.

* * *

No one had anything to say for the next few minutes.

Ingrid Kindergrubber continued. "After Candace graduated, she had Ginger out of wedlock. We had an argument, and then Candy said she'd never see me again. She took Ginger and left, the same way her father left me. I had nothing else to lose, so I created a portal and escaped to this world- to New Salem. My intention was to find Wilson since he'd said that was where he was from, but I never saw him again,"

"So you stayed and worked at Monster High instead," Lagoona remarked, her voice far away and distant.

"Correct," came the answer. "Changed my last name, too,"

Ginger thought over everything she'd heard, and her mind reeled as she tried to process this new information. "Is...that how I'm related to those twins? Are they relatives of Wilson?"

Ms. Kindergrubber wrinkled her nose. "No, child. You see, my sister Gerda had a daughter named Hazel, and Hazel found herself smitten with another Wendigo years later. As you've most likely guessed, he's the same Wendigo who trapped us in here, and he's put you all in a situation where he expects you to kill. I beg you," she gazed at Ginger, and then she wrapped an arm around her and held her close. "Do not bicker with one another. It will only worsen your situation. Please, your worlds are _not_ as different as you believe them to be! Ever since the storm, they've become the same, so please come together and find a way to escape,"

Daring leaned against the wall, looking away and covering his mouth with his hand, his brows pressed together in deep thought. "If only...if only there was some way to get outside help. None of our technology seems to work,"

Heath watched Daring for a few seconds, and then he gasped. "Wait!" Heath sprang up, a wild look in his eyes. "I have an idea!"

Everyone stopped whatever they were doing and looked at him. "What?" Hunter wanted to know.

In a flash, Heath leaped up and ran towards the stairs. The others exchanged glances, and then Clawd, Daring, and Dexter went after him.

They arrived at the stairwell just in time to see Heath reach up and pull down the fire alarm, the sirens blaring after he'd done so.

Dexter covered his ears and yelled, "What is that!? What did you do!?"

Clawd had his hands over his ears as well, though he grinned as he looked at Heath. "That's the fire alarm! That'll get the authorities here! Heath, you're a genius!"

Heath folded his arms, looking pleased. "I know,"

About a floor above them, Robert looked up from a newspaper as he heard the siren wailing. His son clapped his hands over his ears.

"So loud!" exclaimed the boy.

Robert walked by and cuffed his son on the ears, saying, "Shut up, Will! Looks like someone's trying to get the fire department's attention,"

"Do you want me to deal with it?" Robert's daughter exclaimed, jumping up. "I can do it!"

Robert raised an eyebrow. "You? Fine, although I'm not sure which alarm it was. Check the basement, that's closer. And don't you _dare_ disappoint me, Riley!"

As Riley bolted towards the basement, Hazel lifted up the phone. "I'll call them off," she sighed. "Robert, you _really_ should have disabled the alarms,"

"Shut up," Robert muttered towards his wife, stalking away.

* * *

 **Hello, readers! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Sorry, it's been taking a while for me to get these out lately, but I had to work through finals week and prepare for Christmas. Speaking of which, I hope you all had a happy holiday if you celebrate!  
**

 **As for this chapter: was there anything in here that surprised you? Is there anything you're confused about? Do you have any theories about what may happen next? Let me know in your review, and I will respond to you if I am able.**


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35:

"See? There you go," Clawdeen tried to smile as Cerise left the dressing room. "Much better,"

Cerise tugged at the blouse Clawdeen had given her to wear. It was a nice blue and it fit well, but the fabric was cheap and unwashed. Clawdeen had pulled it from the costume bin, which was only a few feet away.

They were in the 'Grotto', an area above the auditorium. Back when actors performed at the center, the Grotto was where they would stay. The Grotto had a dressing room, bathrooms, and bins and bins of costume pieces. But no one had put on a play there for a long time, so the costumes were presumably okay to borrow.

Tossing the torn top into a nearby wastebasket, Cerise sank down on a chair and buried her face in her hands. "This is a disaster,"

Clawdeen reached out and placed her hand on Cerise's shoulder, saying in a soft voice, "It'll be okay, I promise,"

Cerise turned and looked out the window, out at the town of New Salem down below. She didn't want to be in this world anymore. She wanted to go back home, to her parents, but things wouldn't be so perfect there either. Oh, how she wished all of this was just a nasty dream and nothing more...

The sound of footsteps trudging up the narrow stairs caught their attention, and both wolves turned to look. Brocko emerged from the stairwell, looking upset and very embarrassed.

"Hey, um..." he swallowed and looked away. "H-how's it going up here?"

It was clear he was addressing Cerise, but Clawdeen stepped forwards and answered instead. "We're surviving, thanks," Clawdeen sounded cynical as she put her hands on her hips and stared him down. "And there's plenty of shirts on that costume rack back there, in case you wanted to tear any more clothing,"

Though she tried not to look at him, Cerise could feel Brocko staring at her. She could almost sense his emotions.

Brocko sighed. "Clawdeen, c-could I talk to Cerise?"

"Nope," Clawdeen lifted her chin, indignant. "Whatever you gotta say, you can say to both of us,"

Cerise still did not look at him as he pulled up a crate and sat down on it. Brocko inhaled, his breath hitching.

"Look...I need you to believe me when I say that I honestly and truly did not have control of myself down there. I don't know what made me behave the way I did, what made me hurt Cerise, but whatever it was, it'll _never_ happen again,"

Cerise felt a strange and intense mix of sadness and anger well up in her chest, and she finally spoke. "And if it does?"

A pause followed. Cerise turned to look at Brocko: he had his chin pressed into his hand, his eyebrows knitted together, and his whole body slouched as he looked at her. "Cerise," he began, ignoring Clawdeen and speaking to Cerise this time. "When I make a mistake, I know it. I feel it. I tear myself apart- I lose sleep. I never stop thinking about it. So, when I say sorry, I really mean it,"

It was at this moment that Cerise noticed the moistness in her eyes. She looked away, wiping it on the blouse's sleeve and biting down on her lip. _Damn it!_ she thought to herself, bitter. A part of her wanted to stay mad, but given that apology, she knew she couldn't hate him. She never could.

Before Cerise could answer, another set of feet came clonking up the stairs, and Romulus came rushing in. "Clawdeen!" He sputtered. "You'll never believe it- Clawd trapped one of the creepy Wendigo twins in the basement closet!"

"What!?" Clawdeen leaped up, suddenly alive. "Hang on, I'm coming!" She started to run out, but stopped and flashed Brocko a death glare. "You'd better be good to her, 'cause if you're not, I'll know!"

Soon, Brocko and Cerise were alone. A heavy silence hung over them, and it lasted for several minutes as neither of them made eye contact.

"Hey, uh," Brocko broke the silence. "I...like that blouse. It looks good on you,"

Cerise rolled the hem of her skirt between her nails, looking up at Brocko with a nervous expression. "It's from the costume bin,"

"It's pretty," he leaned forward and smiled, although it was a forced smile.

The smile dissipated, and Brocko's ears perked up. He straightened up, alert, and Cerise noticed. "What?" she asked, concerned.

He stared into the hallway, his lips parted a bit as he listened for something. "You don't hear that?" his voice was a low whisper.

Cerise raised a brow, tilting her head. "No?"

"I'm pretty sure I hear someone crying," he rose up, stepping towards the dark hallway with caution. He walked a few feet, stopped, and then beckoned for Cerise to follow him.

Apprehensive, Cerise followed, and she soon heard the sounds of sobbing in the darkness. Brocko flipped a switch as they walked down the hall, and he remarked, "It sounds like a guy, and he's in the projection room,"

Sure enough, they could see a dim light within the rippled glass of the window, and the sobbing was coming from the other side of the door. Brocko knocked, and when the individual did not seem to respond, Brocko turned the handle and opened the door.

"What the hell happened in here!?" Brocko exclaimed, shocked, and Cerise got a good look.

Bram knelt weeping on the projection room floor, nude except for a bedsheet draped across his naked body. His hair was a mess, his clothes lay in a heap a few feet away, and he was quivering all over. He shot up when Brocko spoke, and he stumbled to his feet in a frenzy.

"You need to get me out of here!" Bram's voice cracked as he reached for Brocko, who recoiled in horror at the sight of Bram's nakedness. "Please, I-I think she's still in here!"

Brocko looked confused. "Who?"

"He means _ME!_ "

A woman suddenly dropped down from the ceiling, clothed only in a corset, her long hair hanging in ringlets. Her nails seemed to be claws, and she ran towards Bram and engulfed him in her arms.

"Listen here, losers," she spat, grinning with sharp teeth. "The name's Carlotta, and blonde Edward Cullen is mine for the time being! So you'd better get along, little doggies,"

Bram let out a yelp and struggled to get away. "No! No- please! Brocko, you have to help me!"

When Brocko stood there in stunned silence, Carlotta snorted. "Listen, wolfies: a girl's got needs, you understand? So how about you back away slowly and pretend you didn't see me? Trust me, I'm not gonna kill him,"

For a moment, it seemed as though Brocko would turn and leave, but that's not what happened. Instead, he bravely stepped forward and reached for his wallet. "How much you want for him?"

Cerise's jaw dropped. Was Brocko being serious?

"Money?!" Carlotta chortled. "You're actually gonna pay me to release him?"

Brocko's hands shook as he revealed a 50 dollar bill to Carlotta. "Will this be enough?"

There was a silence as Carlotta sat up, glancing at the money and then at Brocko. Then, she grinned a sharp-toothed smile and responded, "I think I see something else I like!" All the sudden, she jumped straight up, lunging at Brocko and tackling him. Before Cerise could even register what was happening, Carlotta had grabbed Brocko by the neck and dragged him down the hallway, his screams echoing off the walls.

Cerise's body snapped to attention, and she took off running after Carlotta. " _BROCKO!_ "

Leaving Bram all alone, Cerise rushed down the hall as fast as she could, screaming Brocko's name all the while. It wasn't until she tumbled into the stage that she realized she'd lost him.

"Damn it!" she breathed, her eyes wide with panic. This place was bigger than she'd thought.

"Hey, who's in here?" a voice called out, and Cerise whirled around, only to have a flashlight's light strike her eyes. She stumbled backward, but a hand grabbed her wrist and pulled her back. "You good?"

Cerise blinked, realizing who it was. "Howleen!"

Sure enough, Howleen stood before her with her brothers Howldon, Howlmilton, and her friend Twyla by her side. "What's with all the yelling?" Howleen asked, concerned. "Did someone get-?"

"Brocko!" Cerise blurted out, grabbing Howleen by the shoulders. "Howleen, she took Brocko!"

When the others gave her confused looks, Cerise sighed and elaborated. "A crazy lady stole Brocko, and now I can't find him!"

A loud scream erupted from the hallway, and Twyla remarked, "Well, speak of the devil,"

Cerise bolted towards the door, with Twyla and the other wolves following close behind. They burst the doors open just in time to see Carlotta holding Brocko against the wall, her hand reaching towards his belt. She froze when she saw the others approach her.

"Have you come for a demonstration for why abstinence fails?" Carlotta inquired in a sweet but sickening voice.

Cerise made a move to jump, but Twyla stopped her and stepped forward instead. "No, actually!" thick, purple smoke burst from Twyla's hand, and she shot a great deal of the stuff at Carlotta, knocking her flat on her back.

Brocko collapsed, gasping, and Cerise ran to him right away and helped him up. "Did she hurt you!?"

Brocko coughed. "N-no,"

Carlotta focused her attention on Twyla, and her eyes started glowing. "Oh, is that the way it's going to be!?"

Twyla produced more smoke from her hands, and she blasted even more of it straight into Carlotta. When Carlotta attempted to push back, Twyla thought fast and shot smoke at the ceiling. This dislodged a light and pulled it down, crashing straight on Carlotta. It pinned her to the floor, and within seconds, it burst into flames.

The group stared in horror for a few seconds as the fire began to spread, and Brocko turned around and hit a button labeled ' _instant sprinklers_ '. As the water washed away the flames, only the broken lighting fixture remained. Carlotta had vanished.

Twyla fell on her knees, her breath shaky, and Howleen knelt beside her. "Twyla?"

Inhaling, Twyla wiped her nose, revealing that it was bleeding a little. "I-it's normal," she explained when she noticed the others' concern. "That happens when I strain my powers,"

Brocko walked over to the light fixture, staring at it as his hands fell in his pockets. Cerise stood beside him, taking his arm. "C-come on," she began, her voice soft. "Let's just get out of here,"

In the projection room, Bram lay staring at the floorboards in silence. After a few seconds, he rose up and reached for his clothes.

He pulled his shirt back on but lost the strength to do anything else, and he leaned against the walls. Bram covered his face with his hands, and another sob escaped him. _What now?_

"Who's there!?" an anxious voice called, and Bram knew who it was right away.

"Gory!" he cried, running to meet her. "Oh, Gory, it's me!"

Gory ran to embrace him, but she stopped when she noticed that he was half-naked. "Um...Bram? Where are the rest of your clothes?"

Bram felt the tears prick his eyes, but he fought them back as he looked Gory in the eyes. "Gory? Do you promise you won't hate me?"

A cold, icy feeling began to pulse through Gory. "What happened?" she then noticed a strange mark on his neck, and she knew what it was. _Lipstick._

"Some lady...I swear, I thought it was you! Honest to God, Gory! She started teasing me and trying to kiss me, and because I thought it was you, I..."

Gory put up a hand to stop him from talking. "You...did stuff, didn't you?"

When Bram stared at her pitifully, Gory clapped her hands over her eyes and groaned, "Bram, why!?"

"I thought it was you!" Bram pleaded, his voice cracking. "She was a shapeshifter, I'm sure of it! Everything felt normal until she...she pulled out a camera,"

"And?"

Bram lowered his head, humiliation present in his voice when he said, "I told her not to film me, and then she turned into...some weird clown thing! I don't know how to describe it, it was so surreal! I realized what had happened and I tried to get away, but she held me down and..."

Gory took her hands away from her face, her eyes blank. "I think I understand,"

"Y...yeah," Bram wiped at his eyes, and he reached for Gory. "Honey-"

Gory pushed him away, enraged. "You're lying to me, Bram!"

The look of betrayal in Bram's eyes made Gory pity him for only a moment, but it faded when he tried to talk. "Gory, please-"

"You had your chance, _cheater!_ " she stormed away, yelling, "And you won't be seeing me anytime soon!"

Gory tore through the halls and up the stairs, stopping outside of the storage area, where she broke down. She hated him, she hated the other woman, but most of all, she hated _herself._

She wasn't good enough for him. He threw her away to be with someone else, and the more she thought this, the surer of it she became. Thinking she was all alone, she wailed a mournful wail and she didn't hold back.

Her own cries were so loud that she hardly noticed when the storage room door swung open. The next thing she knew, someone was grabbing her, and a voice was saying, "Gory! What's wrong!? Are you hurt!?"

Gory blinked back her tears and looked up, seeing Deuce standing above her. She struggled to her feet, choking out, "Bram's a stupid, cheating jerk!"

"Okay, okay," Deuce took her arm and led her into the storage room. "Well, don't cry out here. We don't want to alert anyone we wouldn't want nearby,"

* * *

 **Hello, dear readers! I understand that this story has been going on for a very long time, and you should know right now that this will, most likely, end up being my longest story ever. That's why I thank you all so much for continuing to read it and supporting it with all your comments, favorites, and follows!**

 **As for this chapter, what are your thoughts? Did it keep your attention? How do you think our protagonists will escape? What do you hope to see in future chapters? Let me know in your review, and I will try to get back to you if I am able.**


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36:

Deuce shut the door and locked it, announcing, "I got Gory, everyone,"

Gory looked up and glanced around: Cleo was there, holding a rag to her bruised eye while glaring at nothing. Three Ever After girls, Duchess, Fayebelle, and Courtly sat around on boxes.

"Gory?" Fayebelle sounded oddly amused. "Is your name actually 'Gory'?"

Sniffing, Gory lifted up her chin and balled her fists. "Yes, in fact. My name bears no importance to our situation, thank you,"

Cleo lifted the rag away from her bruise, making face at Gory. "What in Ra's name are you crying about?"

Gory's lips shuddered, and she began to sob once more. "Bram cheated on me!"

"Really, now?" Cleo sat up, looking shocked. "With who?"

"I don't know!" Gory buried her face in her hands as she sank down on the floor. "Some clown creep!"

Courtly Jester stretched her arms out and hugged Gory in a somewhat awkward fashion. "Poor doll! His loss, you're a beauty,"

"Yeah," agreed Fayebelle. "What do we need men for, anyway? 'Menstruation', 'mental breakdowns'- you ever notice how all of us women's problems begin with 'men'?"

Deuce noticed a light scratching on the door behind him, and he turned around. "Girls, be quiet,"

They ignored him. "That's why I'm single," Duchess spoke up, lifting her chin proudly. "My destiny requires me to marry a prince, one who is so devoted to me that he will take his life after my demise, just as my parents before me," her expression changed to one of annoyance. "At least, that's what they were _supposed_ to do. I have yet to find a man that can love a woman that deeply,"

"Girls!" Deuce hissed again, his voice sounding strained. "I hear something!"

Cleo silenced him. "Deuce, the _women_ are talking. Have you ever realized how males just seem to get everything handed to them at birth? Of course, I suppose it's just tradition, but it's certainly idiotic in some respects. Take my sister and me for example. We are both capable of ruling with an iron fist, no? We have the skills, the intelligence, the training- so it only makes sense that one of us would inherit something grand. And yet, what happens? My mother comes back after centuries of being away from us, remarries my father, and they produce a son- one that's going to get _everything_ someday! Nevermind that Lux DeNile is a baby who only babbles, he already has so much laid out for him because he's the perfect boy my mother and father always wanted! It's grossly unfair in my opinion,"

Fayebelle looked disgusted. "That happens here, too?"

Deuce tried to warn them once more, but before he could form the words, the doors swung open.

They hardly had time to register the Wendigo boy as he rushed inside and collided with Deuce, knocking him to the floor with a snarl. Deuce let out an outraged yell, and Cleo responded by prying the Wendigo away, shoving him against the wall and socking him in the mouth as if it were nothing. When the Wendigo looked surprised, Cleo began to scold him.

"You sure are an idiotic creature! Thinking you could take a Gorgon, a vampire, a fairy and _me!_ I'm surprised your father even thought any of this was a good idea- what's the use in bringing Wendigo to a place that's full of other monsters? Your kind may be strong, but you're not that strong! Now, do you have anything to say?"

The boy glared, and then he spat in Cleo's face. When Cleo whirled away in disgust, he shoved her away and bared his teeth. All of the sudden, Duchess ran up to the Wendigo with a bottle of perfume in her hands, and she proceeded to spray him in the eyes with the stuff.

He let out an _"ACK!"_ and clawed at his eyes, and Cleo socked him once more.

"What a miserable creature you are!" Cleo reprimanded, stamping her foot. "Stopped by a little perfume- what would your parents think?"

The boy blinked the perfume away, tried to snarl again, but was stopped by the quivering of his own lip and the sob that escaped him. He covered his eyes and wept, much to the surprise of the others, and he tried to hide with his arms.

After a moment, Deuce took a step forward and shook the Wendigo's shoulder. "Hey, everything okay?"

When the boy shook his head, Deuce asked, "What's your name, kid?"

"W-Will," he choked out, looking embarrassed. "And...I'm sorry,"

"Hey, hey, don't worry about it," Deuce took Will aside and sat him down on the floor, rubbing his shoulder. "It's okay, you're good. Why are you crying?"

Will sniffed and wiped at his eyes. "B-because she's right,"

"Who? Cleo?"

"Yeah. M-my dad hates me: he wants me to pretend to be some crazy tough guy who will hurt anyone, but I just can't do that! I'm so weak,"

Courtly Jester leaned above Will and ruffled his hair. "No, no!" she cooed. "He's dumb and mean- you're sweet and adorable,"

Will suddenly looked upset. "I am not cute!"

"Calm down," Deuce got his attention again, trying to keep him from attacking once more. "Do you not want to work for him anymore?"

Will shrugged. "I-I don't know. I want him to like me, but I'm too soft for him. He's even hit me a few times..."

He looked like he was about to cry, so Fayebelle patted his shoulder and handed him some bottled water. As Will gratefully took the water and drank, Deuce's phone beeped. He glanced at the message, and then he set it back down.

"Hey, Will," Deuce began. "Do you wanna convince your family to let us out?"

Will looked worried. "I-I can't, I'll get in trouble,"

"No, you won't," Deuce spoke in a low and deliberate voice. "If you help us get out of here, I'll get the police to help you, all right? They'll make sure your dad won't hurt you,"

There was uncertainty in Will's eyes. "Promise?"

"Yeah, yeah," Deuce stood up and took Will's arm, beckoning for the others to follow him. "Come on, let's go,"

About a floor above, pacing the halls, Valentine looked for some way of communicating with the outside world. He had tried to access the computer in a nearby office, but when he saw the Wifi router was missing, he began to feverishly look for it.

"Come on, come on," he muttered, digging through a cabinet. "It has to be here, somewhere!"

The door behind him squeaked, and he whirled around in shock.

Toralei stood there, looking panicked. "Have you seen Kitty!?"

Valentine paused, and he straightened up. "Who?"

"Kitty Cheshire! My..." she faltered, but only for a moment or two. "My girlfriend,"

"Oh!" Valentine recalled the petite, pale-skinned werecat Toralei had entered with earlier. "No, haven't seen her. Sorry,"

Toralei groaned, smacking her head against the doorpost. "Damn it! I hope Cleo didn't decide to try anything with my-"

Valentine shushed her. "Quiet! I hear something,"

"What?" Toralei stilled herself, and then she heard it too: muffled voices from the other side of the wall.

"I haven't been here for a while," Valentine stood up, going to the door. "What room is next to this one?"

"That stupid clock room!" Toralei exclaimed, running to the door. "I didn't even think to look there!"

She knocked, and the voices hushed. When she knocked again, a masculine voice responded, "Who's there?"

"It's Toralei! Is Kitty in there!?"

Almost right away, the door flung open. Alistair and Kitty stood there, and Kitty grabbed Toralei right away.

"There you are!" Kitty threw her arms around Toralei, hugging her tightly as Valentine stepped inside.

Alistair started to ask, "Kitty, who is..." but he trailed off when Kitty and Toralei kissed one another on the mouth. "...oh,"

Maddie, who sat in a chair with a tissue pressed against her lip, jumped up when she saw the kiss. "I _knew it!_ "

Valentine noticed Lizzie leaning against a bookshelf, and he went to her. "Lizzie! Are you all right?"

Lizzie looked as if she were in a daze. "I suppose..." she murmured, staring out the window.

Concerned, Valentine touched her arm. "Are you sure?"

As if provoked by the contact, Lizzie began to sob. "No!"

Bunny, who'd been staring at the row of clocks at the wall, whirled around when she heard Lizzie weeping. "What did you say to her!?"

Valentine didn't know what to do for a few seconds. "I didn't do anything! I...Lizzie," he put his arm around her and pulled up a chair, helping her sit down. "Lizzie, don't cry. It'll be okay, we'll get out of here,"

Lizzie shook her head, wiping her eyes with her wrist. "It's not that...it's just..." she breathed deeply, trying to control herself. "If we die here, I should tell the truth,"

"Hm?" Valentine frowned. "And what's that?"

Lizzie swallowed, quivering a bit as her friends stared at her. Finally, she could no longer stand it, and she broke down. "I'm pregnant!"

"What!?" Bunny knelt down beside Lizzie, taking her hand. "Oh, Lizzie, I had no idea!"

"Who's is it, Lizzie?" Kitty inquired.

Lizzie covered her face. "M-my lover. I can't say his name, or I could be severely punished!"

Alistair suddenly paled. "Is it...could it be who I think it is?"

"Don't say it if you know it!" Lizzie blurted out, a tear trailing down her cheek.

It was then that all the clock's in the room began to progressively tick faster. Kitty looked up, her eyes scanning each clock as the hands moved faster and faster. "Um...I'm assuming this isn't normal?"

Toralei's mouth fell open, and she grabbed Kitty's shoulder in fear. "What the hell?"

The whirring of gears got even louder, and the clocks' hands spun at what one could only describe as a hundred miles an hour. A clock with a light built into it started to flicker, and all the sudden, all the lights blew out. Everything went dark.

"What happened to the lights!?" Alistair exclaimed in shock, but Maddie shushed him.

There was a brief flash of light, and then the lights came back on completely. Maddie uncovered her eyes as they adjusted to the light, and she gasped in surprise at who she saw. "What the-!? Dad, how did you get in here!?"

Sure enough, Hatter had appeared, looking rather frazzled with his hat clutched in his hand. He wasn't alone- Cheshire and White Rabbit stood beside him, both equally overwhelmed with Cheshire seeming more agitated than anything else.

There was a momentary yet excruciating silence, and then Cheshire held up a finger as if telling everyone to wait. Before they could react, Cheshire grabbed a nearby wastebasket and retched copiously into it. Upon seeing this, Kitty rushed to her mother and began to comfort her.

When this happened, the tension seemed to break, and Hatter explained, "Alistair sent me video footage of the adult who locked you in here, and when we couldn't get Milton Grimm to help us, we took matters into our own hands,"

"So you just teleported here like it was nothing!?" Toralei's voice pitched slightly. "Well, then teleport everyone out!"

"We- I cannot," Cheshire wiped her mouth, looking somewhat embarrassed. "This whole area is reinforced with a strange magic I've never seen before. It drained my energy quicker than anything else ever has, and I fear I won't be able to use my magic for another hour or so,"

Kitty gasped. "That's too long! Perhaps I can help you,"

Cheshire turned to look at her daughter, smiling a weak smile. "Perhaps,"

White Rabbit, however, was not so optimistic. "Matthew, I told you this would fail!" he babbled at Hatter. "Look what we've done, now! We're trapped with our children and we're all going to die and I didn't even pay my taxes yet and-"

"Father, pull yourself together!" Bunny begged, kneeling beside him and taking his arm. "We're not going to die, please try to look on the bright side of things! At least you came out of your home for once,"

"Children, where are the others?" Hatter asked, a bit anxious. "This can't be all of you,"

"We all got scattered among different areas of the building," explained Valentine. "Sir, you need to understand that the people keeping us here are creatures you may not be familiar with. They're called Wendigo, and-"

Hatter interrupted him. "Oh, I am familiar with Wendigo, believe me,"

Valentine stopped, surprised. "You are?"

"Unfortunately, yes," Hatter slipped his hands into his pockets and stared out the window, a strange look in his eyes. It seemed as if Maddie understood this, and she took his hand and squeezed it gently.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. The room went dead silent.

The knock happened again, and Alistair stood up slowly to answer it, but Hatter nudged him out of the way and placed a hand on the knob instead. "Who is it?"

"I know you've teleported in here, somehow," it was Robert, and he was angry. "Please open the door or I shall have to kill you,"

Hatter opened the door slowly, and he soon found himself face to face with Robert. Robert smiled wryly.

"Hello, Mad Hatter of Wonderland, or Matthew Hatter, as that is your birth name. I do believe we've met?"

Hatter didn't blink. "Yes,"

Robert pushed past Hatter, smirking at the others in the room. "And you've brought your Wonderland friends with you! How quaint,"

White Rabbit began hyperventilating. "Oh-oh, my-! H-he _is_ real!"

Robert tilted his head, staring at the rabbit smugly. "Am I real enough for you, Reginald?" he then turned to look at Hatter once more, his voice lowering. "Was I real enough for Richard?"

Hatter's hands curled into fists, and his entire body tensed up. Maddie tugged on his sleeve with worry, but he did not respond.

Robert focused his attention on Cheshire. "Why, Miss Cheshire! I'm glad you're here as well. You haven't aged a day,"

He extended a hand towards her, but Cheshire hissed at him. "Don't you dare touch me! We haven't forgotten what you did to Richard,"

"Who's Richard?" Toralei whispered to Kitty.

Kitty answered, "The March Hare,"

Robert didn't seem to care. "Cheshire, darling, your powers are useless in this place. You and your daughter are at my mercy, do you understand me? And Matthew," he turned to smirk at Hatter. "May I say that _both_ of your children look very similar to you?" he nodded at Alistair. "The boy has your eyes,"

Alistair whirled around, staring at Hatter with a look of complete horror. "What!? Is he telling the truth!?"

Hatter said nothing, and he slowly reached into his coat pocket. When Robert turned back to Cheshire, Hatter unsheathed his revolver and shot at Robert twice, nailing him in the spine both times.

The shriek Robert unleashed was one that rang in the ears of those who heard it, and it was also one no human could ever make. Instantly, Robert morphed into his beast form, and he ran at Hatter with teeth and claws bared.

 _"DAD!"_ screamed Maddie, bolting after the Wendigo as it chased her father down the hall.

Cupid's ears caught the sound of Maddie's cries through the door, and she perked up. "Oh, no!" she glanced back at Raven. "You'd better hurry up with that spell!"

"Don't rush me!" hissed Raven, flipping through an encyclopedia. She arrived at the picture of the Auhizotl, and she set the book down in the circle of lighted candles.

Taking a step back, Raven inhaled deeply and held her palms to the ceiling, closing her eyes. Another muffled scream could be heard, and she began to recite the spell:

 _"Upon this day,_

 _upon this night,_

 _within this flight,_

 _you shall come to light!"_

Black smoke burst forth from her hands, and she shouted, "Auhizotl, _awaken!_ "

An explosion followed, and it was so powerful that it blew off the door. Cupid was knocked to her feet, coughing, and she barely registered what had happened when the Auhizotl's thundering feet leaped over her.

Matthew Hatter prepared for the end as Robert cornered him at the end of the hallway, the Wendigo's mouth dripping with saliva and his teeth glittering in the darkness.

"Tea-time's up, Hatter," grinned Robert, ready to strike the final blow.

Yet, it never happened.

The Auhizotl, a hideous beast with the face and body of a dog but humanoid eyes and a hand at the end of its raccoon-like tail, charged forward and snapped the Wendigo up in its jaws, shaking it like a ragdoll. The Wendigo shrieked once more and clawed at the beast's jaws, but the Auhizotl quickly overpowered him and dragged him down the wall, snarling all the while.

Maddie finally grasped her father, burying her face in his chest and sobbing, "Dad! Dad, you're okay! I-I thought something horrible would happen and that I'd feel ashamed that I wouldn't get to tell you I loved you one last time and-!"  
"My dear, my dearest one," he shushed her, hugging her against him as he quivered and ran his fingers through her thick hair. "We're alive, you and me both,"

Raven stumbled out of the library, staring wide-eyed towards where the Auhizotl had dragged Robert. She couldn't speak for several moments. "It...it worked,"

"It worked a bit too well," noted Draculaura, picking paper off of her skirt. "But it _worked!_ "

* * *

 **Whoo, what a ride! I hoped you enjoyed this, sorry for the cliffhanger. I just didn't want this to be too long is all.**

 **Small update on my life: I start my next semester on the 25th, and I don't mean to brag or anything, but I made dean's list this past semester! If you're unfamiliar with this, basically my GPA (Grade Point Average) exceeded 3.5, and now I'm on a list of people who've also achieved this. Just thought I'd mention that since I'm really happy about this.**

 **Anyway, what are your thoughts on this chapter? Was it exciting? Interesting? Confusing? Let me know what you think of it in your review!**


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter 37:

Heath chewed on his lip as he stared out the basement window.

"No, no, no!" he hissed, hitting his forehead against the wall. "Come on!" whenever he accidentally set off a fire alarm, there always seemed to be dozens of firemen, but when he intentionally set one off, there was no one. "Ridiculous!"

"Heath!" Deuce came running down the stairs, Will at his side. "Where are you keeping the Wendigo girl?"

Heath took a step back. "Whoa, whoa, what are you doing with him!?"

"It's a long story," Deuce answered, breathless. "Where is she?"

"Let go of me!" a voice shouted from down the stairs. "You're all idiots! My parents will defeat all of you!"

"Cut the crap, Jaws," Clawdeen crossed her arms, staring down at Riley, who was bound to a folding chair. "Just tell us what the easy way out of here is, and we'll let you go,"

Riley only snarled menacingly and kicked her feet. "Never!"

Will pulled away from Deuce, running down the stairs and stopping in front of where Riley was bound. "Riley! Come on, tell them! If we do, we don't have to do this anymore,"

There was a glimmer of hope in Riley's eyes. "Really?"

"Yeah," Will gestured to Deuce. "He's on our side, and he'll help us,"

Riley pursed her lips together, and she stared at the basement floor for a moment. "Untie me,"

Though hesitant, Lagoona complied and undid the rope around Riley's wrists. Riley stood up, shaking herself off, and she wrung her hands together nervously.

"I'm sorry, everyone," she admitted in a soft voice. "There isn't a way out. My dad lied to you. The only way to get out is if my mom undoes the spell or...if someone dies. I'm so sorry,"

There was a pause. "So..." Daring began, his voice far away. "Someone's going to have to die?"

Will looked heartbroken. "But...but-"

"It's the truth, Will," sighed Riley. "You know that,"

And then, it happened.

The windows and doors all began clicking, and it got everyone's attention. Riley's facial expression changed, and she grasped her temple in her hands. "Will!" she exclaimed, her face twisting in pain. "Our parents...something happened to one of them! I felt a Spiritual Connection snap,"

Will's eyes widened. "What!?"

"It..." Riley teared up, and she covered her face. "Oh, my God! It was _Mom!_ "

Ms. Kindergrubber slowly sat down in a nearby chair, her eyes wide with horror and grief. "Oh, Hazel...poor Hazel," she took Riley's hand and caressed it lovingly. "I'll make sure your father stays far away from you,"

As Riley sobbed, Ginger reached out and patted her back, although she was apprehensive to do so. Riley and Will were actually part of her family, and it was an odd realization, to say the least.

Will was just in shock. "Riley...there has to have some kind of mistake! She couldn't...Mom couldn't..." his eyes welled up, and he began to weep once more. "No, no!"

Deuce wrapped an arm around Will and hugged him, saying, "Hey, hey, it's gonna be all right,"

As the students in the basement comforted the Wendigo twins, they hardly noticed the door opening and two figures entering the basement. Dexter Charming was the first to notice them, and he stepped back in surprise. "Um...hello?"

It was Van Hellscream, and there was a younger man with a mohawk at his side. They both held guns in their hands.

"Will and Riley McKennitt," Van Hellscream's voice was devoid of any emotion. "An Ahuizotl killed your mother while she was defending your failure of a father. Come with me and nobody will get hurt,"

When Riley began to step forward, Deuce stood protectively in front of both twins. "Didn't learn your lesson the first time, huh?" Deuce reached for his shades, preparing to pull them down. "Bloodgood should have smashed your statue when she had the chance,"

Van Hellscream's eyebrow twitched. "I see you haven't learned much either," he nodded at his companion. "Johander, we may not need the twins. Shoot them all,"

Before anyone could react, Johander opened fire on everyone, allowing Van Hellscream to escape. Screams and cries filled the basement along with the deafening guns shots, but it didn't last long. Johander's shoe seemingly burst into flames, and he let out a yell and dropped his gun. He desperately tried to extinguish it, but Clawd Wolf tackled him and pressed him to the ground, kicking the gun away.

"Is anyone hurt!?" Clawd shouted, holding Johander down as he struggled. "Did anyone get hit!?"

Trembling, Deuce felt all over himself. "N-no. I think he was aiming at me, and I wasn't hit. Heath, that was great thinking, setting him on fire like that!"

No response. Daring looked over his shoulder, and he let out a yell. "Oh, my God!"

Heath was there, lying against the wall, gritting his teeth as he held his right side. He looked more confused than anything else.

Daring dropped to his knees, pulling Heath's hands away to look at the wound. "He got hit on the side!"

"Move!" Ms. Kindergrubber shoved Daring out of the way, rolling Heath over and examining him. "Heath, dear, can you hear me!?"

Heath lifted his head, blinking. "Y-yeah...did I get shot?"

"Yes, you did!" Ms. Kindergrubber pulled off her green scarf and tied it around Heath's waist, keeping him from losing too much blood. "Just relax, and I'll take care of you,"

Johander watched from the floor as the others swarmed Heath and made sure he was still breathing. These weren't mindless monsters and freakish, living fair-tale people like Van Hellscream had portrayed them as- they were kids. They were scared teenagers, and he'd shot at least one of them. Johander's heart sank when reality fully settled in: _dear God, what have I done?_

Clawd picked Johander up by the head, slamming him into the wall. "Do you feel tough, now!?" Clawd thundered, pressing his claws into the man's face. "You just shot a kid! Does that make you feel tough, you stupid freak!?"

Johander squirmed underneath Clawd's hands. "I'm sorry!"

Clawd leaned toward him. "What did you say?"

"I'm sorry, okay!?" Johander cried out, a pained look on his face. "I thought you were a threat!"

There was a pause, and then Clawd pulled Johander off the wall. "You thought _we_ were the threats?" he turned Johander's head to look at where Heath was lying. "Does this look like self-defense to you!?"

"Guys, guys, I'm okay," Heath murmured, trying to sit up. "I-it doesn't hurt that much, I- ow!" he doubled over, wincing. "Okay...now it hurts! Damn it!"

Deuce turned around and glared at Johander. "Where'd Van Hellscream go!?"

Johander pointed up the basement stairs. "Out there..."

"Come on, let's go!" Deuce jumped up and ran to the stairs, with Clawd, Gil, Manny, Daring, and Hunter following after him.

They ran out into the parking lot just in time to see Van Hellscream's SUV screech off into the road ahead, but they weren't giving up that easily.

Clawd gestured for the others to follow him. "Get in my car! We'll follow him!"

Van Hellscream gripped his steering wheel tightly, his eyes glaring out on the road before him. In the passenger seat, Robert glared at him without saying a word for several minutes.

"Where are my children?" Robert seethed finally, his eyes wild as blood continued to drip down from a cut on his forehead. "Why didn't you get them for me? You're a failure, I knew you would fail me!"

Van Hellscream just laughed. "Me!? I failed you!? Mr. McKennitt, _you_ failed _me_! I trusted that your plan would work, and it did not! So, now I'll have to kill you!"

A roar ripped from Robert's throat, and he lunged at Hellscream. " _Traitor!"_

The SUV swerved to the side of the road as Hellscream wrestled with the Wendigo, and it finally stopped when gunshots boomed and the car pulled over. The door opened, and Robert tumbled out onto the pavement as the door slammed shut and the car drove off.

Moments later, Clawd's car pulled over to where Robert lay, and the boys all got out.

"Is he dead?" asked Hunter, hesitantly poking him with a stick.

Annoyed, Clawd pushed the stick away and knelt beside Robert. "Don't do that. No, he's breathing, but just barely,"

Robert's eyes opened, and he looked perplexed when he noticed the boys surrounding him. He tried to speak, but nothing came out.

Deuce leaned in closer. "What?"

"H..." Robert slowly lifted his hand, reaching into his pocket. "Here..." he managed to pull out a mess of folded papers, his bloodied hand quivering. "T-take it,"

"What is it?" Gil took it, looking over and gently pulling the papers apart to look at them one by one.

"It's..." Robert's breath hitched. "It's the plans. H-Hazel knew this would happen. For her sake, take them, and stop Hellscream,"

Robert coughed, and Deuce tried to push him up. "Hey, we'll call someone, all right? Don't..." he trailed off, staring down at Robert. "He's dead,"

"Whoa!" Gil exclaimed, looking at the papers. "These are- these are like, emails! And a couple letters!"

"Really?" Daring took a paper, scanning it. "Wow, you're right! It's their plan- it's _all their plans!_ "

Clawd's phone rang, and he answered it. "Hello?" there was a pause, and he sighed in relief. "Oh, thank God! Yeah, we're heading back. See ya!"

He hung up, and he turned to the others. "That was Clawdeen. Ms. Kindergrubber took Heath to the hospital. He's gonna be okay,"

"What about the dude who shot him?" Manny wanted to know, clenching his fist. "He still there?"

"Oh, she didn't say," Clawd shoved his phone back into his pocket. "She also didn't say if anyone else got hit. I still kind of doubt that Heath was only one who was injured,"

Hunter spoke up. "Actually, I think I got hit,"

"What!?" Deuce stood up, looking him over. "Where!?"

"My shoulder," Hunter rolled up his sleeve and revealed a recent wound. "Can you look at it? I can't really see it,"

Deuce squinted, his brow furrowing. "No, you only got grazed a bit. You'll be okay, but I think you should clean it out," he pulled out his phone. "I'll call someone to, uh...take care of Robert,"

Daring gathered the papers, stuffing them in his coat. "I can make copies of these and send them to everyone. Would that be all right?"

"Of course!" agreed Gil. "Actually, I'll take them- Miss Bloodgood might want to see them,"

It started raining. It was a cold, dark rain that was comforting, in an odd way.

Raven leaned her head against the carriage door, closing her eyes as she listened to Dexter talk.

"So, Daring said that the emails alluded to the fact that someone was purposely trying to divide us," Dexter explained. "And, it seems like your mother was involved,"

Raven opened her eyes, staring out at the rain. "Doesn't shock me," she mumbled. "But I'm glad that we know that,"

Dexter paused, and then he took Raven's hand. "Raven? Are you still upset about Hazel?"

"Yeah," Raven admitted. "How could I not be? Dexter, that woman died because of what I summoned! And do you know the worst part? It's still out there! It got away!"

"You can get rid of it, right?"

"No. Well, not yet, anyway,"

Dexter patted her hand. "It'll be okay,"

Raven wanted to ask, _but how are you so sure?_

The carriage stopped at the foot of the castle's driveway, and Raven stepped out. "Thanks for the ride, Dex,"

Dexter smiled up at her. "No problem, I'm always happy to do it,"

Raven smiled back and waved goodbye, shutting the door behind her. As she pushed open the castle's front doors and entered, it seemed as if everyone had gone to sleep.

Yet, this was not the case, and she soon heard her father coming down the stairs.

"Raven?" the Good King looked rather confused as he watched his young daughter remove her coat. "Raven, I didn't know you were coming home this weekend. And why so late?"

Raven met her father on the staircase, wrapping her arms around him and hugging him tightly. "It's a long story. Dad, I...I have something to tell you,"

"You can always tell me anything," her father's voice was so low and sweet that it broke her heart.

Raven swallowed. "Mom escaped,"

His body tensed up, and he pulled away. "Are you certain of this!?"

"Y-yeah, and that's not it-"

She then proceeded to tell him everything as they sat at the table and ate pudding. The Good King never interjected, never made a comment, and he listened intently.

When she was finished, he sighed. "You poor thing. You children shouldn't have to put up with this! I'll let the other kingdoms know what you've told me,"

"But what if she goes after you!?" Raven grabbed her father's hand, looking into his eyes. "Dad, I...I'm worried,"

He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. "Don't dwell on it anymore, my darling one. It's late- you should get to bed,"

"Dad-" her words got caught in her throat, and she swallowed. She didn't want to cry, so she just buried her face in her father's chest and pressed her eyes shut. He rested his chin on her head, wrapping an arm around her.

"How could a creature as horrid as your mother produce something as precious as you?" he wondered aloud, twirling his fingers in Raven's hair. "We may never know,"

At the Evil Queen's castle, Van Hellscream leaned over the bathroom sink and attempted to bandage his face.

"Damn Wendigo," he cursed, tying off the bandage. "This is never going to heal properly- I may need surgery,"

The door opened, and Hellscream snapped, "A closed door means that the bathroom is occupied!"

Carlotta stood in the doorway, popping her gum in her teeth. "Queenie wants to see you,"

Van Hellscream growled, slamming down the first aid kit and pushing past Carlotta. "Oh, goodie..."

The Evil Queen sat on her throne, pouring a glass of red wine as she stared out the window. When Van Hellscream stepped into the room, the Evil Queen gestured to the chair in front of her.

"Have a seat, Hellscream,"

As he sat before her, she took a swig from her wine glass and set it beside her. "I am never putting you in charge again. From now on, I am the one who makes plans, not you,"

Van Hellscream tried to laugh. "You can't be serious,"

"Oh, I am," she glared at him, her fingers tapping her throne. "I expected more from you, Ludwig,"

He bristled when she used his real name. "But-but it wasn't my fault! It was Robert's!"

"And where is Robert?"

"Dead. I shot him,"

The Evil Queen seemed surprised. "Did you, now?"

"Yes," he leaned forward. "Please, please let me do this. I have another plan-"

"No," the Evil Queen stood up, walking away. "Robert's plan put my daughter in danger. I thought you and I agreed that, no matter what happens, Raven stays safe," she stopped, and she grabbed Van Hellscream by the collar of his shirt, pulling him towards her. "The next time you put a life at stake, have it be your own!"

Quivering, Van Hellscream nodded frantically. "Y-yes, miss!"

She dropped him back into his chair, turning away and storming out the doors.


	38. Chapter 38

Chapter 38:

"Sorry about the mess back there," Valentine apologized, buckling his seat belt. "I haven't really had a chance to clean up,"

Lizzie fumbled with the seat belt. "I-it's fine," she muttered, folding her hands on her lap. As she stared out the window, Valentine cleared his throat.

"Um...do you need anything?" he inquired, looking at her with sympathy. "Are you hungry? Thirsty?"

She shook her head. "No, I'm fine,"

Valentine switched his car on, saying, "Well, if you need anything at all, you can just tell me,"

Lizzie then noticed someone walking around nearby, and her brow furrowed. "Isn't that your friend?"

"Who?"

She pointed. "Him,"

It was Bram, and he looked upset. He stood in an empty parking space, biting his lip and fiddling with his jacket. It seemed as if he were holding back tears. Valentine observed silently, and he undid his seatbelt. "Wait here, Lizzie,"

Lizzie watched from the window as Valentine approached Bram and touched his shoulder. Bram covered his eyes, quivering, and he mouthed something out before burying his face in Valentine's shoulder and sobbing. This went on for about a minute until Valentine pulled and away and took Bram's arm, leading him to the car.

"Okay, sit back here," Valentine moved over a few bags as he made room for Bram, letting him sit in the back. "You're coming with me, all right?"

Lizzie's brows knitted in concern. "Is everything all right?"

Valentine sighed, climbing into the driver's seat. "Don't worry about it. Bram's just going to be staying at my house tonight,"

"Oh," Lizzie glanced back at Bram. He wiped his eyes and stared out the window, just as Lizzie herself had done earlier.

They pulled out of the parking lot and onto the road, driving under the night sky.

"Lizzie, where do you want me to drop off?" Valentine wanted to know. "I picked you up at your school. Should I drive you there?"

"Actually," Lizzie took a breath. "I was wondering if...I could stay with you tonight?"

Valentine looked confused. "Really?"

"Yes. You don't have to, but...I'm so tired,"

"Well, all right, then. Do you need to ask your parents for permission?"

Lizzie shook her head. "No, they're busy tonight, and they think I'm at school,"

They arrived at Valentine's house around midnight, and Valentine took them inside. "Bram, you can stay in the guest room above the garage," he gently led Bram to the room's door and opened it. "There's a TV and a built-in bathroom if you need it. Just let me know if you need anything else,"

"Actually," Bram spoke up. "Could we...talk for a second?"

As the two vampires talked, Lizzie explored around Valentine's house. Though she wasn't one to be nosy, she had never seen a place quite like this one, and she was only looking, after all.

She then glanced into the doorway of the library, and she got quite the surprise: in the center stood a baby's crib, with a toddler asleep inside. A lullaby played on a small radio beside the crib, and a pinkish nightlight illuminated the room.

Lizzie stared for a moment, and then she quietly shut the door and went back down the hall.

Valentine met her immediately. "Just to let you know, I may end up calling the police tomorrow morning. Bram said that this woman-"

"Why is there a baby sleeping in your library?" Lizzie cut in, more confused than anything else.

He paused, and he laughed nervously. "W-well, you see, I..." he trailed off, sighing. "That's my daughter,"

"You have a child!?"

"Yeah," Valentine tried not to make eye contact. "Come to the kitchen, we'll talk more about it there,"

He sat her down at the kitchen counter, where he poured a glass of juice for her and a cup of Type A for himself and explained.

"I had a short-lived 'friends with benefits' relationship with a friend of mine about two years ago," he began, sipping his drink. "We had a child, but neither of us actually wanted responsibility, so I gave her to my cousin Florence. Florence...is no longer with us," Valentine stopped, and he swallowed. "T-the friend of mine who I had Anne with doesn't want anything to do with me, so now my mother and I are raising her. So, yes, I'm a parent,"

Lizzie thought over what she'd heard. "Do you...do you love her?"

He looked up. "Hm?"

"Your daughter?"

"Oh," he nodded. "I do, but...I don't really have a relationship with her. I know I'm supposed to because she's my child, but I feel like I don't know her. Does that make sense?"

Lizzie tilted her head. "What do you mean you 'don't know her'?"

Valentine sat up, trying to find a way to explain it. "You see, when she was born, I only held her once, but I didn't bond with her. I didn't think I'd ever need to since Florence would be raising her, but now that Florence is gone, I have to take care of Anne. I feel like I still can't bond with her, and prefers my mother over me- she cries whenever I hold her," he leaned against his hand, looking away. "I'll get to know her more as time goes on, but for now, she doesn't even feel like she's mine,"

He looked upset, so Lizzie reached out and patted his hand. "I'm sure you'll get used to it, and she will, too,"

Valentine smiled at her, squeezing her hand. "Thank you. That's why I want to help you- I understand what you're going through. If you need anything, anything at all, just tell me,"

Lizzie felt her baby stir, and she had a thought. "Would you do me a favor, then?"

"What would you need?"

"See," Lizzie leaned forward, inhaling. "There's a luncheon at my home castle tomorrow afternoon, and it's for my kingdom and the Red Kingdom. It's a peace talk, to put it simply, for my mother and the Red Queen. Anyway, my lover is a Red Knight, and he'll be there, and so will my parents. Valentine..." she looked at him pleadingly. "Would you help me tell my parents and my lover?"

Valentine's mouth fell open, going silent. He was so exhausted by everything that had happened, so he could only respond with, "S-sure,"

Lizzie stood up and threw her arms around him, crying, "Thank you so much! You have no idea how much you've helped me,"

Although he was glad to help her, he also felt a knot of anxiety growing in him. "No problem,"

That was Friday.

Saturday.

The first thing Cupid noticed when she woke up was the sound of a tea-kettle going off.

She sat up, her brow furrowing as she took in her surroundings: she was lying on a blanket in someone's bedroom, and her some of her friends were sleeping about with their own blankets. After a few seconds, she realized that this was Madeline Hatter's bedroom, and she remembered how she'd agreed to spend the night with the others. The memory of the previous night seemed so far away, so hazy- almost like it had never happened, but it had.

"Good morning, everybody!" Hatter's voice rang through the house. He sounded so cheerful, almost as if he hadn't nearly died the night before. "I've prepared breakfast for all of you! Are you awake?"

It should've been something fun- a group of friends all sharing a nice breakfast, but it was far from it. Everyone was silent, sullen, and the air was tense. Abbey stared at her iCoffin, chewing as she waited for a text.

"Abbey, I'm sure he's fine," Frankie said finally, her voice gentle. "Jackson said Heath will make a full recovery,"

"The word is 'probably'," Abbey swallowed, not taking her eyes away from the phone. "Never a sure answer, always a 'maybe' or a 'probably',"

Cupid watched Abbey for about a minute, and then she glanced at Alistair and Maddie. Maddie was reading something on her Mirror-Pad, while Alistair tapped his finger on the table anxiously.

Despite the tension, Hatter continued humming and singing various songs as he poured some more tea.

 _"They laughed and they smiled, not a soul did look gay,_

 _They talked all the while, not a word did they say._

 _I bought me a quart to drive gladness away,_

 _And stifle the dirt, for it rained the whole day,"_

Hatter sat back down and began to cut into a piece of bread, and as he did this, he continued singing.

 _"Sat down on a hard, hot, cold frozen stone,_

 _Ten thousand stood around me, yet I was alone._

 _Took my hat in my hand for to keep my head warm,_

 _Ten thousand got drownded that never was born-"_

Alistair could longer stand it, and he stood up in a rage. "Stop it!" he pleaded, clenching his fists. "Stop pretending everything's normal! Nothing's going to be normal again, don't you realize that!? For God's sake, just stop already! Please!"

A silence followed. Alistair sank back down in his chair, covering his face and Hatter responded, "I'm sorry, but I don't understand what you mean,"

"Dad," Maddie spoke up. "He means...he's talking about what the Wendigo said to you. Remember?"

Hatter tried to smile but failed, and he sighed, defeated. "I do, I do remember. I didn't want to talk about any of this, but it looks like I'll need to," he straightened up. "My friend Richard Hare, or the March Hare, believed that everyone was good and that life is easier when you trust others. Because he believed this, he always opened his home to strangers who would need help, and he never turned anyone down..."

* * *

 _18 years earlier_

"Matthew!"

Matthew Hatter looked over his shoulder as he saw Richard approaching him, he set down the tray his was carrying. "There you are! You're late again, Richie,"

"I know, I know, but I've just met a wonderful friend!" Richard exclaimed, tying on an apron. "I must tell you all about him on our lunch hour,"

Later, they sat outside the shop where they worked, and Richard explained: "I met him at the train station, and he seemed a bit out of whack. After talking to him, I figured that he must need a place to stay, so I invited him over. He agreed, and Matthew, he's very friendly!"

"What's his name?

Richard thought back. "Robert, I believe. Yes, that's it- Robert! An interesting fellow, to say the least. He said he was looking for someone, an old friend of his he hadn't seen in years,"

Matthew raised a brow. "Here in Wonderland?"

"Yes, although I think Robert may have confused this place with Ever After since he was asking about the Gingerbread Witch for some odd reason. He came over very late last night, and he's sleeping now. I'll talk to him when I return home,"

Matthew glanced over at the clock, and he stood up. "It's almost time to return to our shift, Richard. Come on,"

They worked until closing time when the sun had set, and then Richard prepared to leave as Matthew cleaned off some tables.

"Goodbye, Matt, you old egg!" Richard shouted on his way out the door. "I'll see you tomorrow!"

"You, too!" Matthew shouted back, closing a cabinet.

That was the last time they ever spoke.

* * *

"What happened then?" Maddie asked softly, taking her father's hand.

Hatter shuddered at the memory. "He didn't come to work the next morning. We assumed he was just late, but when I mentioned it to Cheshire, she went to check on him," he stopped, blinking back tears. "I...I went to Richard's house when Cheshire didn't return. I found her crying over Richard's body- he was...he..."

"You don't have to talk about it," Cupid assured.

"No, no," he cleared his throat. "It's important for you to know that Robert did not eat Richard. I'd rather not go into detail about what Cheshire thinks happened to him, but it was just as gruesome. We didn't think Robert was still in the house, but he was, and he attacked both of us. He was after me since I was the only human present, but Cheshire stabbed him and pushed him out the window. He disappeared after that, so we assumed he died,"

Maddie had a sudden thought. "Is...is that why there's not a March Hare in my story anymore?"

Hatter nodded. "Indeed. He never had a child,"

Another silence fell upon them. Alistair lifted his head, his eyes tired. "I wasn't...that wasn't what I was referring to,"

"Hm?" Hatter's brow furrowed.

"Robert said I looked like you,"

Hatter paled. "Oh...that," he stood up, putting a few plates in the sink. "I was wondering if we could meet with Alice this afternoon to talk further about that,"

Cupid took this as the cue to leave. "We should probably get going so you can do that. Come on, girls. And, Hatter," she swallowed as he turned to look at her. "Thank you...for telling us. That can't be easy for you,"

He waved her off. "It was years ago, dear. Time heals, correct? Richard never held onto the past, and if he were alive now, he wouldn't want us to dwell on what happened. Take care!"

Cupid, Frankie, and Abbey began the trek home through the woods, where they discussed what they'd heard.

"I can't even imagine," Frankie sighed, stuffing her hands into her pockets. "He's such a happy person- who knew such an awful thing had happened to him?"

Abbey responded, "Nothing is just one thing. We are many things: we have secrets, we have stories, things others do not know. Like iceberg- the tip is not the whole iceberg, there is more beneath that we cannot see,"

Cupid stopped in her tracks. "Wait...what did you just say?"

"Iceberg?"

"Yeah!" Cupid's eyes lit up. "That's it!"

Abbey and Frankie exchanged confused glances. "What are you talking about?" Frankie asked.

Cupid waved her off, digging through her bag. "I'll explain everything later, but first I'm gonna call the others! You'll see what I mean,"

Word got from the friend group that Cupid had a plan and that they had to meet somewhere to talk about it. Eventually, Apple White agreed to have everyone come to her castle since she hadn't seen them for so long and she was just itching for more company besides her parents and servants. Plus, she wanted to catch up.

So that afternoon, Cupid, Frankie, Abbey, and Draculaura showed up at the Whites' castle, where Darling and Raven already were with Apple. When they arrived, they found Snow White in the parlor having tea with Queen Charming.

"Oh, Apple!" Snow stood up when she saw the ghouls enter. "Apple, you didn't tell me the other friends you had coming over were from the monster school!"

Apple entered the parlor, ushering her friends away. "Mother, if I had, you would have said no!"

Snow rolled her eyes. "Just keep your bedroom door open! That way the maids can hear you if you cry out,"

When the girls had left the room, Queen Charming sighed loudly and dunked her eclair into her tea. "Kids these days..."

"Ooh, is that good?" Snow mimicked Queen Charming and dunked her eclair as well.


	39. Chapter 39

Chapter 39:

"I call it 'Project Iceberg'," Cupid began, drawing an iceberg on a whiteboard she held in her hands. "When we know all there is to know about what we're facing, we'll know how to fight it,"

Darling raised her hand. "May I ask why it's called 'Iceberg'?"

"Because an iceberg," she displayed her drawing to the others. "Isn't just a tip of ice. There's more under the water that we can't see, and it's the same way with what it is we're facing," Cupid then gestured to Abbey. "Abbey gave me the idea,"

Abbey nodded as she filed her nails. "Yes, thank you for giving credit,"

Cupid continued, passing out papers. "These are copies of emails between Van Hellscream and members of the Monster Hunters United gang. I haven't read them yet, so we're going to look through them together and find out all we can about who we're facing,"

For the next ten minutes, the girls searched through the papers, making lists of important names and places while murmuring to one another.

"Van Hellscream sure likes to use lots of unnecessary vocabulary," Frankie remarked to Apple. "You'd think he was trying to get extra points on an essay,"

Apple inhaled sharply, and she set down the paper she was holding, staring at the ceiling. Everyone stopped.

"Apple?" Darling reached out and touched her hand. "Are you all right?"

"Y-yes," Apple cleared her throat, reaching for the paper again. "It's just...this one's about me,"

Frankie stood up, leaning over Apple's shoulder to get a good look. "You're right! Oh, Apple, Van Hellscream really did have an MHU member attack you! I'm so sorry,"

Apple sighed, looking away. "Thank you. At least, now I can prove to my mother that it wasn't one of you,"

Draculaura picked up another paper and skimmed it, and she spoke up. "Hey, remember the woman with the split mouth who attacked us when we left the asylum? Well, she's in here, too!"

Raven took a look and tried to pronounce the name. "Kush...Kushisake?"

"Kushisake Onna," Draculaura cut in. "Remember? Her mouth was split at the edges,"

"Oh, yeah!" Cupid had an idea. "She might be a good place to start! After all, she's a monster working with monster hunters. Isn't that weird?"

Frankie skimmed through another email. "It says here that there were three monsters working with them. Kushisake, Robert, and some shapeshifter. They all hated Bloodgood for some reason, so that's how Van Hellscream got them on his side,"

Cupid thought about it. "Well, in Robert's case, Bloodgood banned Wendigo from Monster High, so we kind of know his motive. As for the other two, the email doesn't explain," she then reached for her iCoffin. "I think I know just who I can call about Kushisake, though!"

In the kitchen, Snow White watched as her cook prepared some food.

"And don't put too much onion in the dip!" Snow ordered. "You know Apple doesn't much care for onion,"

Just then, the doorman called, "Queen Snow! I believe there is someone at the door,"

Snow glanced over her shoulder. "I'm not expecting anyone else. Answer it anyway," she turned back to the cook. "Not so much cheese! I don't like the texture,"

The doorman screamed hideously, and everyone in the castle stopped dead in their tracks. Snow ran to the lobby, grabbing her knife for protection, and she was soon faced with a strange scene: the doorman lay passed out on the floor, while a small girl in a black cloak stared down at him.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare him so badly," she looked up at Snow White, grinning sheepishly. "Hi, I'm River Styxx!"

Snow looked the girl up and down, appalled. "What are you!?"

River thought about it. "Death, I guess. Do you know where C.A Cupid is?"

At this moment, Snow White was done being benevolent. "Wait here," she growled at River, storming away with her shoes clicking against the floor.

"I want you out!" Snow barked at the monsters as she flung Apple's door open. "You attack my daughter, and if that isn't insulting enough, you've now brought a stranger into my home! Get out!"

Apple sprang up, rushing to her mother and shielding her friends from her. "Mother, please-!"

"Apple, I'm only trying to help you!" Snow insisted, trying to push past her daughter.

"No!" Apple shoved the letter in her mother's face. "Read it! This will explain everything,"

Snow's brow furrowed, and she took the letter slowly, her eyes skimming the text. After a few seconds, she gasped, "Oh, my God!" she whirled around and ran into the hallway, calling, "Stephen? Stephen!"

Silence fell upon the room, and then River poked her head in the doorway. "Am I okay to come in?"

"Of course!" Frankie gestured for her to come in, and she shut the door. "Girls, this is River Styxx,"

Darling looked River up and down, a look of confusion in her eyes. "What are you?"

"Hey, the queen here said the same thing!" River remarked, more intrigued than anything. "Is that some kind of a greeting here? Anyway, I'm River Styxx, and I am a Reaper in Training! What was it you needed me to do?"

"Actually, River," Draculaura spoke up. "We would like information on a rogue soul from Japan,"

River cocked an eyebrow. "Japanese rogue soul, eh? Which one?"

Cupid took a breath. "Her name is Kushisake Onna. You may not-"

"Oh, Lord!" River groaned, flopping down on a sofa. "Her!? Aye...well, what do you wanna know?"

"We wish to know about her feud with Bloodgood," Abbey answered. "This feud must have been so bad that now she works with deformed yak known as Hellscream. So, what happened?"

River pursed her lips together. "See, the thing is, for you to know that, we need to go back to the beginning, back when Kushisake was alive. My uncle was the one who tried to take her to the afterlife when she died, but she wouldn't go with him. He's told me her story before, and it's not a happy one, so strap in,"

* * *

The name Kushisake Onna means, 'Split-Mouthed Woman', and needless to say, that was not her birth name.

Her name was Emiko Hanju, and she was born in a rural Japanese village in the year 1924. She was her parents' only child, and she was named after her father's prized chicken who'd died just the day before.

When Emiko was only eight years old, her mother fell ill with a terrible fever, and their doctor had doubts on if she would survive or not.

"I don't want to lose you, Mama," sobbed Emiko as she stood over her mother's bed, not touching her as she had been told not to.

Emiko's mother only blinked and shuddered. "Child, no one cares what you want,"

Just a few minutes later, Emiko lost her mother.

Her father remarried to a new woman just a month later, and Emiko's new stepmother was not fond of her at all. It didn't matter anyway, as Emiko never spent time with her family that often. She spent so much time painting, drawing, and sewing clothes for her cloth dolls that she no longer felt a need for social interaction.

In the year 1940, Emiko turned sixteen, and her stepmother had a family meeting rather than a party.

"You're going to a new school in America," announced the stepmother. "My cousin is there, and she will look after you. Emiko, your father and I want to stay here and have more children, and we no longer have any use for you,"

Emiko was devastated. "But I don't want to go to America! I want to stay here! This is my home- I don't want to leave!"

"Nobody cares what you want!" her father snapped. "You leave in a week, and that's that!"

Just as her parents had said, Emiko was put on a boat from Japan to America, where her stepmother's cousin, Satako, met her.

"My cousin tells me you are very intelligent and artistic," Satako remarked as she got Emiko settled into her new room. "Such a shame you're unattractive. I may need to work on you, or you'll never get married,"

Emiko knew better than to argue. She allowed Satako to cover her in fancy clothes, makeup, and flowers, and she even restricted the food she ate for a while. The other Japanese boys in her community would gawk at Emiko when she walked to school, and they would always show up at her door without warning in hopes of winning her heart.

Yet, Emiko didn't want those boys. She had an eye for someone else- someone more feminine.

She was called Sarah Sharp, and she was the daughter of a war veteran who lived a few houses down from Emiko. They met when Sarah stopped to watch Emiko paint in the grass, and when Emiko finished, Sarah complimented her.

"You draw very well. Have you been doing that long?"

Emiko looked away shyly. "Um, yes, since my childhood,"

Sarah smiled. "I want to watch you paint all the time. Can I come back tomorrow?"

"Yes, please!" Emiko could hardly contain her excitement. She finally had a friend!

That summer, Emiko would paint, and Sarah would watch. They would talk, laugh, and share their problems. Emiko told Sarah about her troubled family, and Sarah responded with a story of an argument with her father. Emiko learned through this that Sarah's father was mentally ill due to his war experiences and regularly took out his anger on his family.

One particular afternoon, Emiko finished a painting, and she turned it towards Sarah to show her.

Sarah gasped. "Oh! Why...it's me!"

"Yes," Emiko giggled. "It is,"

They laughed together, and then Emiko took a risk: she leaned forward and tried to kiss Sarah.

"Emiko-" Sarah ducked out of the way. "Emiko, I enjoy your company, but...I'm seeing someone,"

Emiko's heart dropped. "Oh...I understand,"

She really did understand. After all, did it really matter what she wanted?

Despite this interaction, Sarah and Emiko continued to share a friendship unlike any other. Everything seemed perfect.

And then it happened.

On December 7th, 1941, the Japanese Navy Air Service surprise-attacked a US Naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The event would forever be remembered, but for Emiko, it wasn't for the reasons others would remember it.

Emiko remembered it as the day her world became quiet, and Sarah stopped coming to visit her. Emiko knew why: it was because of Sarah's father. Emiko was sure of it, and she was right.

Donald Sharp demanded that his daughter would stay inside and that she'd never talk to that 'nasty girl' again. He also said that if Emiko ever set foot on their property, she would die, and that was a promise.

Emiko knew all this from a letter Sarah sent her, where Sarah promised she would make an effort to see Emiko again. Sarah ended the letter with, _I love you endlessly and I wish I could hold you._ It was that final line that would lead to Emiko's undoing.

Emiko wrote back, _I will see you tomorrow night, no matter what happens. We will paint together in the sun again._

The following night was Christmas Eve. Emiko waited until Satako was asleep, and she crept into the night to see Sarah. She did not fear Donald Sharp- after all, he seemed to be an unstable man. He couldn't really follow through with such a threat, she reasoned.

She was so wrong.

Waiting outside for her was not Sarah, but instead five older men and a teenage boy. Among the men were Donald, a few of his friends, and Emiko recognized the boy as Harvey, Sarah's boyfriend. Emiko quickly learned that they'd read her letter, and they knew she was there for Sarah. They were there to stop her.

They pounced on her, dragged her to the backyard, and beat her relentlessly. They called her slurs, they said she was ugly, and they said she'd never see Sarah again. Emiko wept, but she made no sound until Harvey grabbed her and hoisted her up.

"I want to go home!" Emiko sobbed, staring into Harvey's eyes, hoping he'd have a change of heart.

For a brief moment, a flicker of pity appeared in Harvey's eyes, but it quickly vanished.

"Why should I care what you want?"

The last thing Emiko remembered was Donald Sharp holding a knife to her cheek and whispering, "Let's see if Sarah will find you pretty now, eh?"

And then, there was only the agony.

She woke up much later, lying face down in an empty parking lot. Emiko shook as she stood up, looking down in horror as she noticed her bloodied dress and shoes. After wandering for a bit, she found a dumpster, and she dug through it in a desperate attempt to find clothes. Eventually, she came across a torn bedsheet and an old trenchcoat, and she began to undress. She wrapped the bedsheet into a makeshift dress and threw on the trenchcoat, and she sat down on a nearby box to think.

That was when he showed up.

"Emiko," a voice said, and she startled.

Standing above her was a tall, cloaked figure, and he carried a scythe in his bony hand. "Emiko, it is time to come with me. The afterlife awaits you,"

"W-what?" Emiko's mouth fell open. "But...but..."

He extended his hand. "Come with me,"

Emiko stood up, balling her fists. "No! I refuse to go anywhere with you!"

"Emiko," he spoke very calmly to her, as he was used to this sort of thing. "It's time to go. This was decided for you long ago, and you have no say in this matter,"

"Don't you understand me!?" Emiko snapped, stamping her foot. "I don't want to go with you!"

The Reaper finally had enough. "Emiko, this isn't about what you want! If I leave you here, you'll become a danger to everyone around you!" He dug around in the dumpster where he pulled out a discarded mirror and shoved it in Emiko's face. "Look at yourself, Emiko!"

Emiko's eyes widened at the sight of her reflection: her mouth had been split at the edges into a bloodied and permanent smile, and her once brown eyes were now a ghostly blue. She stared at herself in silent awe, touching her mutilated face.

"Emiko," the Reaper started again. "Please, come with me. If you do, this form will fall away and you'll be a new creature,"

Emiko said nothing. Instead, she pulled a surgical mask from the dumpster and looped it around her ears, covering her mouth.

"You're right," she began, her voice quiet and dark. "It isn't about what I want. It never is. My whole life, I've been told that what I want doesn't matter and that everything I've done has been to please someone else. My life was never really my own," she reached down and slowly picked up a pair of rusty gardening shears from the pile of scraps. "But, now that it's ended, I can do whatever I want,"

The Reaper could have stopped her, but he didn't. He could only watch as she turned down the dark alley with the shears swinging at her side, and he did nothing else.

After all, she did have a point.

* * *

"Oh, my goodness," Draculaura murmured, looking away. "Poor Emiko..."

Cupid swallowed, clearing her throat. "Wh...what happened after that?"

"Well, my uncle lost his Reaper privileges after what happened," River continued. "And he eventually ended up working at Monster High,"

"Wait-" Frankie cut in, surprised. "Do you mean...Mr. D'eath is your uncle!?"

River nodded. "Yep, of course, that wasn't until much later. And this is how Bloodgood ties into this story, unfortunately. You see, several years later, Emiko came to Monster High, but not as a student- as a teacher. Your Headmistress saw Emiko painting outside like she always used to do, and she decided she wanted her as an art teacher. Emiko went in for a job interview, and she nearly passed it, if it wasn't for the fact that..." River stopped, taking a breath. "Another teacher told Bloodgood that Emiko was on the news the night before for hunting down Sarah's old boyfriend and murdering him. When Bloodgood learned this, she considered Emiko a danger and threw her out. Emiko's hated her guts ever since,"

"Whatever happened to her parents?" Darling inquired. "Surely they knew something had happened to her,"

"They didn't, actually," the answer seemed to hurt River as she said it. "When Satako reported Emiko as missing, the authorities put her in an internment camp rather than actually being helpful. Satako ended up dying due to an infection in that God-forsaken camp, so Emiko's parents never knew what happened to their daughter,"

There was a silence. Raven stared intently at her hands, and then up at River. "How do you do what you do?"

River tilted her head. "Hm?"

"How do you do your job?" Raven wanted to know. "I mean, it can't be easy, taking people to their afterlives when they might not even know what happened to them,"

"Oh," River thought about it. "Well, I've never collected any souls by myself. My dad helps me, and he's a lot better at it than me. It's not easy at all, believe me, and there are certain things that I can't forget," she looked away, brushing some hair from her eyes. "The worst one I saw was a man crying, begging to go back just so he could see his mother one last time. I can't forget stuff like that, you know?"

A realization struck Cupid, and she stood up quickly. "We need to get her on our side!"

River looked up, confused. "I'm sorry, what?"

"We have to talk to her and convince her not to work for Van Hellscream!" Cupid went on, pacing. "We need to show her that revenge isn't the answer! River, can you-"

"Oh, heck no!" River crossed her arms. "I'm not getting Kushisake Onna of all ghosts! Cupid, you're insane. Even though she seems pitiable, Kushisake's really dangerous!"

Draculaura nodded vigorously. "We know! We've met her before,"

River's eyes got large. "You did!? And you lived!?"

"Yes," Cupid stepped forward. "And we'll survive again. Project Iceberg starts with Emiko, and she can help us from there,"

* * *

 **Hey, Y'all! This chapter ended up being a lot longer than expected, so sorry if this was uneventful. I'm just really tired and I don't want to keep my readers waiting any longer! So, I hope you liked this.**

 **Any thoughts? What do you think of Kushisake Onna/Emiko as a character? Do you think it's a good idea to get her on their side? Let me know in your review!**


	40. Chapter 40

Chapter 40:

The Evil Queen set down her papers, standing up and looking around at the MHU members gathered around the conference table.

"Monster Hunters United," she began, lifting her chin. "We failed our last plan, and even worse- we got the attention of an Ever After Kingdom. Queen Snow White, my nemesis and former step-daughter, has declared war on us,"

The MHU members exchanged nervous glances. Johander stared down at his hands, which were folded on the table. _Oh, no..._

The Evil Queen paced slowly, clicking her tongue. "Now, if you want to keep your lives, you'll listen closely to me and to what I have to say. We are going to fight back: spread your influence, gather as many people as possible. I'm going to get into contact with old acquaintances of mine who should be willing to help us,"

"Like who?" asked a member named Brick, her voice full of skepticism.

The Queen answered, "That is none of your concern. Now, follow my orders and recruit more members as soon as you can!"

The meeting ended, and the MHU scattered off to start printing flyers and application sheets. Three members, however, retreated to the kitchen, where they had a little meeting of their own.

"I don't want a part in this anymore," Johander stated firmly, though he kept his voice low.

Peter nodded in agreement. "Yeah. This is getting crazy. I don't even know why we're doing this,"

"I think I know," Brick chimed in. "Van Hellscream promised us that we'd be able to shut down Monster High, but that hasn't even come close to happening,"

"He said that pinning the fairytale folk and the monsters against each other would do the work for us but that also hasn't happened," Peter sighed. "And no one's paid us, either. If you ask me, I'd say that this was only about getting Queenie's little brat to follow her 'destiny'!"

"Well, what do we do, then?" Brick wanted to know. "If we leave, they'll find us. What we need is someone to team up with, someone stronger,"

Johander cleared his throat. "The monsters,"

Peter and Brick went silent, and they turned to look at him. "What!?" Peter looked disgusted. "Why!?"

"Come on, Pete!" Johander argued. "They can help us! Look, they're nothing like we thought they were, and if we just prove to them that we want to help, maybe they'll accept!"

"Dude, no way!" Peter crossed his arms. "They're monsters, for God's sake!"

"What about Carlotta and Kushisake?" Brick spoke up. "They're monsters, and we work with them,"

Peter grimaced. "Y-yeah, but...that's different! They at least look somewhat human!"

"Peter, come on," Johander begged. "They're not all that different from us,"

There was a pause, and Peter gave Johander a sideways look. "Is this you feeling bad for shooting one of those things?"

"They're not 'things'," Johander tried to argue, but Peter wouldn't hear it.

"I don't understand you, Jo," growled Peter. "You're a trained killer, and then you shoot some fire elemental and all of the sudden you have a respect for them!?"

Just as things were about to escalate, Brick stood protectively in front of Johander. "Pete, lay off, all right? Last night really upset him and you know that,"

Peter sighed, burying his head in his hands. "Right, you're right. Sorry, Jo,"

"It's fine," Johander swallowed, looking away. "If you change your mind about working with the monsters, I have a whole plan figure out,"

Brick and Peter exchanged glances, and then Peter took a breath. "Fine. Let's hear it, Jo,"

Kushisake stepped out of the castle, closing the back door behind her as she sat down on the steps.

She was restless: Van Hellscream hadn't given her any recent orders, and she could sense that time was running thin. If Van Hellscream ignored her any longer, she had promised herself that she would kill him. Despite what had happened to Robert, she did not fear Van Hellscream. What could he do to her? She was already dead.

What had he promised her? Revenge. Had she gotten it? Not yet. Maybe it was about time she took care of Bloodgood herself...

The afternoon sun shone through the clouds, and Kushisake tilted her face up to look at it. She barely recalled the days when she could feel the warmth of its rays against her skin- those were strange, far away days, back when she was innocent Emiko. Now, Emiko was dead, and only the shell remained.

"Kushisake Onna?" a voice said, and she glanced around.

Standing there was a girl in a black cloak, with her pastel locks flowing from beneath the dark fabric. Kushisake tilted her head, rather amused: she knew who the girl was, what she was.

"A reaper," sighed Kushisake, standing up and retrieving her shears. "What, have you come to collect me? You're a bit late,"

River lowered her hood, lifting her chin bravely. "Kushisake, you need to come with me. I'm gonna help you,"

Kushisake shook her head. "No, no. What makes you think I want help?"

River almost said, _it isn't about what you want,_ but she knew better. Instead, she pounced, grabbing Kushisake by the arms and swiftly pinning her to the grass. Kushisake let out a rather undignified, _"ACK!",_ and River teleported them both away.

Within mere moments, Kushisake realized that she was no longer on the grass of the castle yard, but the carpeted floor of a bedroom. There was shouting all around her, and footsteps pounded towards her.

"Raven, _NOW!_ " River's voice cried, and before Kushisake could react, her wrists and ankles were bound with an unfamiliar substance.

Kushisake's wrists jerked, and she looked around wildly. "W-what did you do!?" she looked down, and she noticed the candles and incense surrounding her: they'd placed her in a soul-trapping circle.

Raven and River stood over their trapped ghost, recomposing themselves before Raven turned around and shouted, "We got her!"

The others stepped out from a barricade of furniture, examining the scene without speaking.

"H-hey Kushisake," Cupid smiled weakly, wringing her hands. "Sorry about all this, but we knew we couldn't convince you any other way," when Kushisake said nothing, Cupid knelt down beside her, careful not to disrupt the soul-trapping circle. "Kushisake, we heard your story, and we're so sorry about everything you've been through. Nothing that happened to you was your fault,"

Kushisake glared at Cupid, her icy blue eyes filled with rage. Cupid hesitated, and she extended a hand towards Kushisake's mask.

River grimaced, bracing herself. "Cupid, I...uh..."

The mask fell around Kushisake's neck, hanging there. Cupid studied Kushisake's mutilated face in silence, and she murmured, "I think you're pretty, Emiko,"

There was a long silence. Everyone stared at Kushisake, waiting for her to react. Finally, Kushisake responded.

"Let me _go,_ "

Cupid tried to argue. "Emiko-"

The sound of a bell ringing from the hallway stopped everyone, and Apple gasped. "Oh, no! I almost forgot: my mother made lunch for us!"

"What!?" Darling whirled around in surprise. "I thought it was just her and my mother!"

The bell rang once more, and Draculaura remarked, "We can't keep her waiting. We should tell your mother what we're doing,"

"No!" Apple exclaimed. "She would lose her mind if she saw what we were doing, in my _bedroom_ no less!"

"What do we do, then!?" Frankie wrung her hands, glancing over at Kushisake.

River thought for a moment. "We'll leave Kushisake here,"

Abbey quirked an eyebrow. "Is that wise?"

"She's not able to get out of there," River assured. "We'll meet with your mother, and then, after a few minutes, we'll come right back and continue. I'll even put a protection spell on the door if you want,"

Apple thought about it. "Yes, please do that,"

As the girls cautiously left the room, River turned around to close the door behind them.

"This will give you some time to change your mind," River noted towards Kushisake Onna. Then, she shut the door and performed the spell.

Now alone, Kushisake contemplated her next move.

Not only were her wrists bound with cosmic energy (which stops ghosts from using their powers), she was also trapped in a soul-circle. She could see her shears lying on the bookshelf beside her, and she knew she needed to get to them.

Kushisake looked around herself, and she noticed a hair-tie lying next to her within the circle. It must have fallen from River's hair during the struggle, she reasoned. Despite the handcuffs hindering her movement, she picked up the hair tie and looped it around her fingers, creating a sort of sling-shot. Adjusting herself, she aimed and fired the hair tie.

The hair tie hit the shears, knocking them from the shelf and on the floor. Only a sliver of the shears' handle lay on the edge of the soul-circle, but that was enough.

Kushisake smirked: this was almost too easy.

Farther away, someone else was planning an escape.

Johander walked down the main hall, his gun clutched in his hand.

He was getting close to the side door, where his car was parked outside. He knew he couldn't just leave since he hadn't been dismissed, so he had to sneak out the door and wait in the car for Brick and Peter. That was the first part of the plan.

The hallway was mostly empty, and for that Johander was grateful. But he didn't see the couple standing behind a section of the wall until it was too late.

"Hey, Johander!" a voice snapped, stopping him dead in his tracks.

It was Steel, and he had a nervous-looking Helga at his side. Steel stepped towards Johander, his hand balled into a fist.

"Where do you think you're going with that gun, Johander Kahn?" Steel inquired, sounding strangely amused. "No one's been dismissed yet,"

Johander whipped up a lie in his head, the most plausible one he could think of: "I-I thought I saw some werewolves walking around the backyard, and I'm gonna go investigate,"

"Ha!" Steel yelled out suddenly, making Johander and Helga jump. "I know what you're gonna do! Helga overheard you, you know!"

Johander glanced at Helga, seeing the fear in her eyes. "You can't keep using this girl as your little pawn, Steel! You're lucky I don't report you to the police,"

Steel snorted. "And betray your own team? I guess that doesn't matter now, does it? 'Cause you feel sick for shooting that little snot-nosed firebreather? You keep this up, and I'm gonna shoot up Heath Burns myself! And I'll kill him this time, too!"

The sound of footsteps farther down the hall caught Johander's ears, but he didn't make a move to run. "Steel, you are not a good person. You need to stop acting like you're in the right,"

"Oh, really?" Steel stepped forward, getting right in Johander's face. "The little butch is telling me that I'm the one who's wrong?"

Johander tightened his grip on his gun. "Do not call me that,"

Steel only laughed in his face. "Why not? It's true. Everyone's just being nice to you by calling you Johander. You're not a man, Josephine,"

That did it. Johander lifted his gun, and in one swift motion, he fired and shot Steel straight in the shoulder.

The scream Helga let out was deafening, and Peter and Brick came running.

"Aw, shit!" Peter growled, grimacing at Steel, who was unconscious and crumbled against a shelf. "Jo, that wasn't part of the plan!"

"No, but he sure deserved it!" Brick grabbed Helga's wrist and darted towards the door. "Come on!"

Johander followed Brick, and he was sure that Peter was behind him. It wasn't until they made it to the car that Johander realized Peter wasn't there.

"Dammit!" Johander breathed as Brick secured Helga in the back seat. "We left Peter back there!"

"It doesn't matter, Jo!" Brick buckled her own seat belt. "We gotta get away!"

Johander glanced in the rear-view mirror one last time, and he sighed heavily as he began to back out of the parking space. _Sorry, Pete..._

Inside, Peter grunted as he pushed himself up from the floor. He must have tripped...

He looked up, and his mouth fell open when he noticed who was standing above him: the Evil Queen and Van Hellscream.

"Looks like your friends left you behind, Peter," Van Hellscream remarked, his voice strangely soft. The place where Robert had slashed him was stitched up, now, but it was still as hideous as before.

Peter tried to speak. "You...I...well-"

The Evil Queen snapped her fingers, and a puff of black smoke surrounded Peter. The smoke cleared, and in the place where he once lay sat a cockroach. Without missing a beat, the Queen stepped forward and crushed the roach beneath her heel.

"I'll do the same with the others when we find them," the Queen assured Van Hellscream, removing her shoe and handing it to him. "Now, clean this. _Thoroughly,_ "

Apple only watched in silence as her mother poured a cup of tea. The knot of anxiety deep within her was enough to stop her from feeling pleased to see Snow White interacting positively with the monsters.

"So, you're the Grim Reaper?" Snow inquired, adding some sugar to her cup. "Strange, I didn't picture you looking like this,"

River chuckled. "Oh, I'm not _the_ Grim Reaper, I'm just a reaper or a Reaper in Training. There are multiple reapers- did you really think just one reaper collected all the souls across all the different countries and worlds?"

Queen Charming giggled. "Oh, my! I suppose not,"

Draculaura heard a creaking from upstairs, and she glanced behind her back. She saw nothing, and she turned back to the others just as a servant handed her a cutlet of roast beef.

"No, no, sorry," Draculaura pushed the plate away, trying not to gag. "I'm sorry, I'm vegan,"

Snow White looked puzzled. "Aren't you a vampire? I thought they enjoyed meat,"

"I don't," Draculaura went on as the servant scraped away the beef. "I don't even drink human blood,"

"Hm," Snow considered this. "Are there others like you,"

Draculaura shrugged. "Perhaps,"

Queen Charming looked towards the doorway, and she tilted her head. "You brought another friend?"

"What?" Cupid turned around. "Who do you me-" her voice cut short when she saw who was standing there.

Kushisake stood in the doorway, brandishing her shears. "You should really be more careful about where you place weapons,"


	41. Chapter 41

Chapter 41:

 **Warning: this chapter contains violence right at the beginning.**

Before anybody could react, Kushisake raised her shears and brought them down to the center of the table, smashing a porcelain plate into several pieces. Queen Charming let out a shriek at the sight, and she rose quickly from her chair to escape. Kushisake's attention was now focused on her, and she lunged.

" _NO!_ " exclaimed Darling, leaping from her chair and drawing the sword she hid in her tall boot. The steel of the sword met that of the shears and a bizarre swordfight between an actual weapon and a gardening tool ensued.

No one knew how to react at first until Snow White started yelling for her guards, that was when the real battle began.

As the guards rushed in, Queen Charming pulled Darling away from the ghost, and Kushisake was met with the castle guards.

The swords, crossbows, arrows, and knives did nothing to Kushisake. Nothing could hurt her, and she mowed down a great number of guards within seconds. No one in that castle had ever seen anything like this: a woman armed with nothing but a pair of shears taking out what seemed to be man after man.

Snow and Queen Charming tried their best to usher the girls out of the room, but River wouldn't have it.

"You need to let me get to her!" River pleaded. "I'm the only one who can stop her!"

Snow grimaced, glancing over her shoulder just in time to witness Kushisake swiftly tearing a sword from a guard's hands and using it to stab him. "Do what you must," Snow told River hastily. "But just stop her from killing any more of my men!"

River dashed away, and Cupid slipped away from the others unnoticed. She followed River, watching as the young reaper waved her hands and parted the guards as if they were waves.

"Kushisake!" River shouted, her hands outstretched. "If you continue this, I'm going to need to banish you to the void!"

Kushisake pulled her shears from the rib of a guard, and she wiped them on her trenchcoat. "Do it, then. What have I here? Family? Friends? A lover? I have none of those things. Cast me into nothing if you must: I have nothing to lose,"

"Wait!" Cupid pushed past a guard, approaching Kushisake and trying to not appear afraid. "Emiko, there's still hope,"

Kushisake looked disgusted. "Why do you insist on using the name I died with?"

"Because that is your name!" Cupid persisted. "That's who you are!"

"Ha!" Kushisake snorted. "How funny! I am not Emiko anymore- she died, and I was born. Emiko was a sad girl who did what others wanted and ignored what she needed. When she died, she became a woman with incredible power who takes what she wants, and I will not give up being that woman because I fought so damn hard to become her!"

Cupid would not back down, despite what she'd heard. "Please, Emiko! I know you're in there! Please, just think of someone, anyone who showed you kindness, who loved you! What about Sarah!?"

At the mention of that name, Kushisake snapped her hand forward and grasped Cupid's neck, choking her. "Do not mock me!" hissed Kushisake, her grip tightening. "Do not mention that name again!"

River quickly wrestled Cupid out of Kushisake's grip, and her staff began glowing. "I hope you like the void!" River exclaimed, raising her staff.

Kushisake closed her eyes. "Do it,"

All of the sudden, there was a voice in Kushisake's mind, and it was a familiar voice: _"Emiko! Emiko, don't!"_

Her eyes flew open, and her entire body froze. "Sarah!?"

River stopped, and her brow furrowed. "What?"

Kushisake looked around, desperate. "I heard her! Where is she!?"

"Who?" River asked. "Sarah?"

"Yes!" Kushisake reached forward and grabbed River's shoulders, startling her. "Where's Sarah!?"

 _"I'm not with you, Emiko,"_ Sarah's voice came again. _"I'm in the Ghost Realm, but I'm watching you! Let River take you- I want to see you again,"_

Kushisake shook her head slowly. "This...this can't be real-"

 _"It is. I love you, Emiko,"_

That did it. A tight, strange feeling filled Kushisake's chest, and a sob escaped her throat. She fell to her knees, covering her mutilated face and weeping uncontrollably. Everyone stopped, and the whole room was silent except for Kushisake's pained cries.

Cupid caught her breath, and she rose to her feet slowly. After a moment, she stepped forward and knelt beside Kushisake, wrapping her arms around her.

"Do you want to see Sarah again?" whispered Cupid, tightening the embrace.

Kushisake nodded, tearfully murmuring, "I do,"

Cupid felt tears pricking her eyes as well, and she fought them back. "Well...I think you still can,"

"She's calling me," Kushisake pulled away, wiping her eyes with her bloody hand. "I-I shouldn't keep her waiting,"

It was then that something happened: Kushisake's skin seemed to melt away as if it were snow, and beneath was a light, pastel pink. Her black hair faded to a glimmering silver, and her trenchcoat slipped off to reveal a beautiful gown.

In awe, River walked over to investigate. "I...I can't believe it! You're a full-blown ghost, now, Kushisake!"

Kushisake looked up, and her face was no longer ripped and torn. Her eyes were still the same blue, but they had a new gleam in them. She smiled up at River, and there was a child-like innocence in her voice as she said, "My name is Emiko,"

The joy Cupid felt was overwhelming. "Yeah, that's right!" she hugged Emiko again. "That's you!"

As they separated, River extended a hand towards Emiko. "Well, what do you say? You ready to finally go to the Afterlife?"

Emiko exchanged a glance with Cupid, and she stood up. "Yes, I-I think I am. Could you just take me to Sarah, please?"

River took Emiko's hand in hers, and with a wave of the staff, they vanished.

Cupid breathed the best sigh of relief she'd had all day, and she wiped at her eyes. "My goodness. I have to tell my dad all about this- love really did save the day!" she glanced over her shoulder, and her face fell at the sight of the bloodied mess behind her. "That's not good..."

Further away, at the New Salem hospital, Johander's car pulled in the parking lot.

Johander, Brick, and Helga stepped into the parking lot, each with experiencing similar and yet very different emotions: Johander was horribly anxious but wouldn't admit it, Brick was desperately trying to stay cool and collected while masking a panic attack, and Helga just screamed and cried. It was certainly a scene.

"Okay," Brick spoke up finally, speaking past the discomfort of her anxiety. "Helga, honey, I'm gonna give you to a nurse so you can calm down, okay? Johander, just...what were you trying to do here?"

"I'm gonna find Heath and apologize to him," Johander explained, putting a hand on Brick's shoulder. "And I think you also need to calm down, Brick,"

Brick did a bizarre sort of laugh. "W-what do you mean? I just...I...oh, God _damn it!_ " she whirled around and collapsed on Johander's car, sobbing and hyperventilating while clawing at nothing. Johander pulled her off, wrapping his arms around her tightly and stroking her hair.

Helga's sobs simmered down to a whimper, and she wiped her eyes as she watched Brick, her eyeshadow smearing as she did so.

"What's wrong with her?" Helga asked after nearly a minute.

Johander just held Brick, rubbing her shoulder. "She'll be okay, this happens to her sometimes. Brick, we're gonna go inside, now,"

He led both Helga and Brick into the building, where he left them with a nurse. He then talked around and asked about Heath, and another nurse gave him the room number.

Room 226, that was the number. Johander found it pretty quickly, and he positioned his hand to knock, but he just couldn't do it.

What was he even supposed to say? _"Hey, kid! Sorry, I shot you and all, but I left the people who want you dead and I'm here to help! So, we're good, right?"_

He was an adult man apologizing to a kid he shot. There was really no good in this situation that he could see.

Yet, he'd gotten this far. Most people would chicken out this point- at least he had the balls to apologize, right?

Taking a deep breath, he raised his hand to knock once more.

"Why are they making you eat that stuff?" inquired Dexter, gesturing to the bowl of applesauce. "You didn't get hit in the stomach,"

Heath shrugged. "I know, but it still hit part of my lower gut, so I'm being careful about what I'm eating,"

"It hit the lower section of his small intestine," Jackson corrected. "His diet is restricted because of his surgery yesterday,"

Heath gave Jackson a look. "Would you stop doing that?"

"Heath, I am very surprised at how well you bounced back from this," Daring remarked. "You're much braver than I thought you were,"

"Oh, my God," Heath covered his face, embarrassed. "If you keep complimenting me for getting shot, I'm gonna puke on you again!"

Daring just laughed. "I'm being serious! You got shot not even twelve hours ago, and you're acting like it was nothing,"

Heath slipped on a rough-looking sock puppet and waved it in Daring's face. "The sock-ness monster wants you to stop making things weird, my dude!"

There was a knock at the door, and Heath called out, "Deuce, can you answer that? That's probably my mom again,"

Deuce stood up from his chair and opened the door. "Hi, can I help..." he trailed off. "...you?"

The boys in the room fell silent when they saw who it was. Johander wrung his hands and took a step inside.

"H-hey, guys! How's it going?"

"What do you think you're doing here!?" Daring drew his sword from his coat, marching forward. "I should have you beheaded for what you did!"

Johander put his hands up. "Whoa, man! I don't want any trouble-"

"Do you know who else didn't want any trouble!?" Deuce demanded to know, reaching for the edge of his shades. "Heath! And you _shot_ him!"

"Guys, guys come on," Johander pleaded, his voice pitching slightly. "Please, let me help you! I'm not working for Van Hellscream anymore,"

Daring looked skeptical. "Really, now?"

"And why should we believe that?" Deuce asked, crossing his arms.

Johander stuttered. "I...well, you see-"

"Nope, you took too long to answer!" Deuce reached for his shades again. "Time to stone you,"

Heath's voice suddenly broke out. "Guys! Deuce, stop!"

Deuce froze, turning around in confusion. "What?"

"Let him answer," Heath sat up, staring at Johander with a piercing glare. He was calm but clearly angry. "I want to hear his excuse for almost killing me,"

Johander swallowed, folding his hands and nearing Heath's bedside slowly. "Kid- Heath, I don't have an excuse. I just have an apology," he paused, took a deep breath and continued. "I'm sorry that I'm such an idiot who thought all monsters were the same and that all they wanted to do was hurt. I'm sorry that I believed Van Hellscream when he said that we were doing a good thing by manipulating the Ever Afterians into destroying Monster High and your entire community, and most of all, I'm sorry that I shot you. I realized how stupid I was last night when I saw everyone rushing to help you after I'd hit you, and I saw how scared they all were. I realized that you cared about each other and that I was so stupid and awful for trying to destroy that. I just..." he got choked up, and he dabbed at his eyes. "I just can't do it anymore. I'm never going back to Van Hellscream, you can be sure of that, and I'm never going to hunt a monster again. I promise,"

Heath didn't answer. His look had softened, and he instead seemed rather confused.

"Hey, do you need a tissue?" it was Deuce, and he held a tissue box up to Johander. His voice sounded more gentle than before. "No offense, but you're a mess,"

Johander sniffed, taking a tissue. "Thanks, I know," he wiped his eyes and nose with it, and he couldn't help but laugh. "Man, the last thing I wanted to do was cry in front of you," he tossed the tissue into the wastebasket and cleaned his hands with some sanitizer on the desk. "You know what? I don't have to stay if you don't want me to. I've got some info on Van Hellscream, but you guys are so smart that you might figure it out yourself,"

"It'd be a lot easier if you just told us," Heath spoke up, folding his hands on his tray. "So you can stay here,"

This seemed to break the tension, and Johander pulled up a chair to sit. The boys gathered around him as he got out his phone and opened up his messages.

"I don't really know where to start," he admitted. "But I'll read you some texts he sent me,"

Snow White's castle was going through an extensive cleaning, but Apple stayed behind to help and Queen Charming had taken Darling home. Now, it was Cupid, Frankie, Draculaura, Abbey, and Raven. The girls had left for the New Salem mall for no other reason than to talk about what had happened earlier and what to do next.

"I still can't believe that actually worked," Raven remarked, sipping her smoothie. "What's your plan, now?"

Cupid smiled knowingly, lifting up her chin. "I'm glad you asked!" she pulled out a printed document from earlier and read off of it. "It looks like the next one on our list is a woman named Carlotta, the shapeshifter. I think that's her name, anyway: she's only mentioned in one email,"

"Wait a minute," Draculaura's brow furrowed. "A shapeshifter with the name 'Carlotta'?"

Frankie nodded. "Yeah, I think so. Why, is that familiar to you?"

Draculaura groaned. "Unfortunately, yes. She used to live in the same neighborhood as me if that's the one I'm thinking of,"

"Where does she live now?" asked Cupid.

"In the trailer park near the woods," Draculaura explained. "That's where the monsters no one talks to stay- my father calls them the 'bottom of the barrel' monsters,"

Raven suggested, "Maybe we should go there and ask around,"

Draculaura made a face. "No way! Clawd and I went there once to deliver fundraiser cookies. That place is awful! We saw Carlotta the last time we went there, and she groped Clawd!"

Abbey choked on her smoothie. "Agh, God in heaven! Drown her,"

"No kidding!" Cupid felt disgusted but pressed on nonetheless. "Which trailer does she live in?"

"Well, it's not really a trailer at all," Draculara winced at the memory. "It was more like...a repurposed circus caravan, and she lived right next to a guy with no eyes who was cooking meat on a grill. It smelled awful...but he bought like five boxes,"

Cupid clapped her hands. "Great! We know where to find her. How about we visit there tomorrow morning?"

"What!?" Draculaura looked aghast. "No way!"

"Come on!" Frankie pleaded. "Please, Laura? You and Clawd were the only ones who know where it is!"

Draculaura tried to argue. "Well...I...see..." she shook her head. "It's too dangerous. What's the purpose of this, anyway!?"

"If we turned Kushisake good, we can try the same with Carlotta," Cupid answered, her voice full of hope. "What do you say, Laura?"

Draculaura anxiously bit her nails, and she finally sighed. "Fine, whatever. But I'm bringing Clawd for protection!"

* * *

 **Hi, everyone! I just wanted to finish this up before I left for my class today. I hope this is enjoyable for you!**

 **So, what are your thoughts on this chapter? What did you think of Kushisake's transformation? Can Johander be trusted? Is going after Carlotta good idea? Leave me any questions, comments or theories in your review, and I'll see you in the next update!**


	42. Chapter 42

Chapter 42:

Valentine was starting to question why he'd agreed to this.

He hadn't even been in Wonderland for five minutes, and he couldn't even recall how they'd gotten there. All he remembered was Lizzie pulling aside a curtain she said would lead them there, and the rest was a blurry memory of shapes, flashing lights, and shadows. Now, he and the others were all shoved into a tiny taxi carriage pulled by two emus with a zebra as their coach. It was already wild.

It wasn't that Valentine didn't want to help Lizzie: he did want to assist her. But the way this trip had begun and the fact that he barely knew where they were going made him wish he declined the request.

He glanced over at Bram, who was wrapped up in a sweater and gazing out the window.

"You didn't have to come, you know," Valentine told him quietly.

Bram sat up, stretching a little. "No, no, it's fine. Not like I had anywhere else to be," he looked back out the window and remarked, "Oh, look at that carnage,"

Their carriage passed by a giant, rainbow-colored python that appeared to be enjoying the carcass of a dead cow. Valentine gagged and closed the curtain to block out that image. "Why did it have to be snakes?"

All the sudden, the carriage lurched, and the emus pulling it cried in unison.

Lizzie jumped up, throwing the window open and shouting, "What was that!?"

"'Twas a speed bump that is gone awry, princess!" the zebra shouted back in a bizarre accent. "Not to worry, I shall have thee at the conservatory within a moment!"

As Valentine recomposed himself, he asked Lizzie, "We're going to the conservatory?"

"Yes," Lizzie responded, setting her Mirror-Pad to the side. "My lover is there, picking up flowers for the luncheon," she stared longingly out the window once more, and Valentine could see the worry written across her fine features.

He reached out and touched her hand. "Hey, if he really loves you, you don't have to worry,"

Lizzie smiled a weak smile. "Thank you, but...that's not my concern. I'm more worried about how my mother will react since she and the Red Queen haven't been getting along as of late..."

"Once again," Valentine began. "If your mother really cares for you, she'll be understanding,"

Lizzie didn't smile this time. "I can only hope you're right,"

The carriage came to a stop, and the three stepped out onto the road.

"Godspeed to ya, dear ones!" the zebra cried out as he tossed the emus some carrots. "Give Queenie my blessings!"

As the carriage sped away, Lizzie adjusted her shoulder bag and gestured to the vampires. "Come along, we haven't much time,"

The conservatory was beautiful, but Valentine wondered if it was technically a greenhouse. He was about to ask Lizzie, but he remembered that this was Wonderland and nothing was supposed to make sense.

Lizzie pushed the door open, and instantly, there were sounds of birds chirping, people talking, and the splashing of the large pool in the center. This place was huge, but it didn't take Lizzie long to spot who she was looking for.

"There he is!" Lizzie pointed up the stairs to the top level. She tugged on Valentine's sleeve. "Come, come!"

Valentine started up the stairs, but he stopped to glance behind him at where Bram was standing. "Bram, are you coming?"

Bram turned his attention away from the giant butterfly balancing on a leaf, and he nodded at Valentine. "Yeah, yeah, sure,"

The top level of the conservatory had a row of small shops, all with vendors selling their goods. Lizzie went straight to a florist's stand, where a Red Knight out of his armor stood to buy a potted flower.

"This is ridiculous! I was sent by the Red Queen herself," Chase Redford tried to stay patient, but his grip on the flower pot only got tighter. "I really shouldn't have to pay any higher!"

The florist, a dapper-looking yet haughty rhino, only snorted. "Look, bud: either you pay the pay extra bits, or you tell the Red Queen she ain't gettin' her precious flower!"

"Do _not_ speak that way to me!" Chase slammed the pot down, upset. "I'll tell her all about this, and then you'll see!"

The rhino squinted at Chase. "Hey...I know you! You're that kid the Red Queen adopted!"

Chase was taken aback. "Um...yes?"

"Hah!" the rhino got right in his face. "Some 'knight' you turned out to be! Can't even go two minutes without runnin' to mama, can ya?"

Before things could escalate even further, Lizzie came marching in. "How _dare_ you talk to a noble knight that way!?" Lizzie exclaimed, balling her fists and taking a step in front of Chase. "If I hear you speak this way once more, I will tell my mother to take your big, leathery head!"

The rhino was unimpressed. "You're holdin' up the line, kids,"

"Lizzie!" Chase grabbed her by the shoulders and turned her around to look at him. "What are you doing here!? Shouldn't you be with your mother?"

"Oh, Chase," Lizzie took his hand, squeezing it. "Chase, we _really_ need to talk-"

"You gonna pay for the flower or not?" the rhino cut in, just exhausted at this point.

Chase sighed and threw a small bag of coins on the counter. "Here. Come on, Lizzie," he took the potted plant in one arm and started to walk away with Lizzie, but he stopped when he saw Valentine and Bram standing there. "Who are they?"

"We'll talk about it in the cafe," Lizzie explained hastily. "Come on,"

Back in Ever After, much farther away, Cerise lay on her back and stared at the blue sky.

This wasn't the first time she'd slept in the woods, but it was different than the other times. Whenever she camped out, it was almost always with her family on weekends or holidays. Now, it was just her and another wolf.

"Here I am!" Brocko's voice called out, and Cerise sat up and smoothed her hair back.

Brocko sat with her on the blanket she'd spread out and set down a plastic bag with two styrofoam boxes inside. "Guess what I got,"

Cerise knew it was some sort of meat, but she pretended to not recognize the smell. "What is it?"

He popped open a box and presented the contents to her. "What I wanted to eat with you since day one: steak and eggs!"

It looked wonderful, with a cutlet of meat, two fried eggs, and a slice of toast. Cerise quelled her instincts to pounce on the food and devour it, and she instead took the box gingerly. "It looks delicious! Did you really drive all the way out there to get this?"

Brocko shrugged. "It's not as far as it seems. Try it, it tastes a lot better than it looks,"

He was right, and she instinctively began to eat with her hands rather than the fork provided. She realized her mistake halfway through the meat, but Brocko didn't seem to notice. Or if he did, he didn't mind her getting gravy all over her hands.

Cerise looked out into the valley, and she stared wistfully at all of it. "Isn't it so nice out here?"

"Yeah," Brocko agreed, cutting the meat with a knife. "It is. Kind of reminds me of New Salem Springs,"

"Hmm?" Cerise tilted her head. "What's that?"

"A local park," he answered. "It's a really pretty place. My dad used to take my sister and me out there all the time, and we loved it. We used to go swimming at the lake, and then we'd have a barbecue afterward. It was the best," his expression changed, and he got a bittersweet look in his eyes. "I miss him,"

There was a slight pause, and Cerise asked, "What happened to him?"

"Oh, he's not dead or anything!" Brocko assured quickly. "He's...not around much anymore. My parents got a divorce two years ago, and we don't visit him that often,"

"Why?" Cerise asked, moving a little closer.

Brocko turned to look at her, and he winced. "I don't think you'd really understand why..." when Cerise stared at him, Brocko sighed. "Okay- see, we saw him a lot, but then he starting dating this woman, and..." he tried to think of how to properly explain the situation. "She was a wolf, like us, and she'd been married before, but she did something bad to one of her kids. Our social workers knew about that, and when they found out we'd been at his house with her, they freaked out. They told my dad that he could either cut ties with his girlfriend so he could keep seeing us, or stay with his girlfriend and lose custody of us. He chose the second one,"

"Oh, wow..." Cerise was about to put a comforting hand on his shoulder, but then she remembered her fingers had gravy on them. She wiped them down with a napkin. "I'm so sorry,"

"No, no, it's fine," he unscrewed his water bottle and drank from it. "When I turn 18, I can start visiting him again, but I have to wait. Dad didn't wait, and he's getting married in a month. My sister and I aren't invited, obviously,"

Cerise put her hand on his shoulder, and after a few seconds, she laid against him. She wondered if she was embarrassing herself, but he heart leaped a little as Brocko slipped an arm around her. All was quiet as they cuddled on the blanket, and then Brocko spoke up.

"Didn't you say you were going to your parents' house this weekend?"

Cerise nodded. "Yeah, aren't you coming with me?"

Brocko thought about it. "Well...I was just going to drive you there, actually,"

"What?" Cerise pulled away, a little hurt. "I thought you were going to visit my family,"

Brocko only sighed. "Cerise, your dad doesn't like me,"

"He can learn!" Cerise begged. "Come on, you and I both can talk to him,"

Brocko looked away for a moment, and Cerise noticed the way the sunlight made his fur appear golden. He looked very beautiful, and Cerise realized right then that she loved him.

"Okay," he agreed, turning back to look at her. "Let's finish eating, and then we'll be on our way,"

At the Conservatory, Valentine and Bram introduced themselves to Chase over some tea and biscuits.

"Wait, wait," Chase tried to compose himself after learning this new information. "So, you're actually vampires from a world that somehow merged with Ever After, and you came here with the Princess of Hearts because...?"

"I'm her friend," Valentine tried to explain. "She brought me along for moral support so she can tell you something,"

Chase turned to look at Lizzie. "And what did you need to tell me? You still haven't said,"

Lizzie sipped on her tea, not making any eye contact. "Chase," she began after a moment. "I'm...I'm pregnant,"

There was a long pause, and Chase slowly leaned back in his chair. "Oh," his voice was quiet, and eyes shifted to his feet with worry. "I see...and, you're sure it was me?"

"Yes," Lizzie's voice was almost a whisper.

Chase sat up, leaning his head into his hands as he pondered this new revelation silently. Valentine couldn't stand it, and he touched Chase's shoulder.

"I'm sure you'll be all right," he tried to reassure, but Chase didn't listen.

"Lizzie, what are we going to do!?" Chase demanded to know. "Have you thought about this at all? Have you told your mother? Oh, God, what if-?"

Valentine cut in again, more annoyed than anything else. "Getting anxious won't fix it! Now, the reason I came along today was to help both of you tell everyone at the luncheon-"

"What!?" Chase's voice cracked slightly. "How do you expect us to do that!? Her mother's going to kill me!"

"Stop it!" Lizzie snapped. "Look, they have to know sometime,"

Chase buried his face in his hands and went quiet. He came back up after a few seconds. "Okay, then. You promise we'll be all right?"

"I can't promise you anything," Lizzie admitted.

As Chase took Lizzie's hand and kissed it, Bram watched in silence and wondered if he should've allowed himself to be dragged into this.

Fifteen minutes later, Brocko drove Cerise up to Hood Hollow, where her parents' cottage sat past a cluster of trees. Brocko stopped the car, and sat there for a moment, staring out at the cottage.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked Cerise after a moment.

Cerise nodded. "Yeah," she opened up the car door. "Come on,"

* * *

 **Hi, everyone! I'm sorry this chapter was rather short and uneventful, but I'm not really feeling my best today and I've been dealing with a bit of writer's block. The next chapter is going to be a lot better since this one was just setting things up.**

 **Any thoughts on this chapter? I'd love to hear them in a review!**


	43. Chapter 43

Chapter 43:

The first scene Brocko and Cerise stumbled across when they entered the cabin was Ramona lying on the sofa with her Mirror-Pad across her lap. She was watching a program with a man making strange objects out of clay.

"Oh, hey you two," Ramona greeted nonchalantly. "I found out today that our Mirror-Net can pick up all these other new programs. This is a really weird one called 'the Sculptor's Clay-ground',"

Cerise glanced at the screen before asking, "Ramona, do you know where Dad is? I want him to talk to Brocko,"

Ramona only snorted. "He's upstairs. Good luck- he's kind of in a sour mood today,"

Brocko grimaced. "Cerise, I think..."

"Cerise, is that you?" a voice called from upstairs. It was Badwolf.

Cerise ran to the stairs, calling back, "I'm here, dad!"

Badwolf met her at the landing, embracing her. "It's wonderful that you could make it for the weekend. Your mother was so concerned when she didn't see you this morning,"

"Really?" Cerise felt a pang of guilt. She hated to worry her mother...

"I heard you were at a party last night," Badwolf responded. He didn't seem angry about it, just quiet. "Tell me, were you hanging out with those-" he stopped when he saw Brocko standing there.

Brocko tried to smile. "H-hey, sir-"

Badwolf clenched his fist, pushing past Cerise and coming face to face with Brocko. "Why are you here!?"

"Your daughter invited me!" Brocko put his hands up defensively. "I-I only want to talk,"

Cerise felt her body tense up as she watched the scene in front of her unfold. She had to do something, but what?

"You have no business here!" Badwolf snapped. "My daughter doesn't know what she's doing. Now-"

At this moment, Cerise finally broke. "Dad, stop it!" she barked, stepping in front of Brocko. "I _do_ know what I'm doing, and you need to talk to us! Not just Brocko, but for me and Ramona, too!"

Ramona looked up from her Mirror-Pad, surprised. "What?"

Cerise continued. "Why do you continue to keep us away from our heritage as wolves? Is it because of me and my destiny? You already defied your destiny, why are you protecting mine!? What are you so afraid of!?"

There was a long silence. The back door opened, and Red entered. "What's going on? Why are you yelling?"

Badwolf glanced over at Red, and then back to his daughter. "All right, all right. Red, can you make some coffee for us? It's about time we told the truth,"

Red pursed her lips together and turned towards the kitchen. "Okay, wait here,"

Farther away, back in Wonderland, the day was becoming more and more confusing.

They'd made it to the Heart Kingdom, but Lizzie had disappeared and Chase had left to get the Red servants together, so now Bram and Valentine could do nothing except stand around awkwardly. They watched as the Heart servants set up the tables and chairs for the luncheon, laying down red roses and tablecloths designed like playing cards.

"What are we even doing here?" Bram spoke up finally, agitated. "Can we just leave?"

"No!" Valentine answered though he was annoyed himself. "I'm not abandoning Lizzie, she asked me here for a reason. I'm sure she'll be back,"

"Hey!" a voice snapped, and both vampires jumped.

A tall, skinny man with a mustache stood behind them, a tray of silverware and napkins clutched in his gloved hands. "You think you can chit-chat instead of work!?"

Bram and Valentine exchanged glances, and Valentine stepped forward. "Um, sir, there's been a misunderstanding. We don't work here-"

"Oh, don't pull that on me!" the man shoved a handful of napkins towards Valentine, and he passed the silverware to Bram. "You go set up those tables, or the queen will hear of your arrogance!"

When the man turned his back, Bram grabbed a knife from the silverware and raised it as if he were to strike, but Valentine stopped him. "Bram, let's just do what he says,"

Bram tried to argue, but Valentine had already trudged away with the napkins. Begrudgingly, Bram decided to obey.

As he laid down knives, forks, spoons, and soup spoons, he thought over the events he'd experienced: he'd gone to a party to apologize to a boy, became aroused for an unknown reason, and when he was about to sleep with who he believed to be his girlfriend, she revealed herself to be, not Gory, but a stranger with sinister intentions. And then she...

He shuddered and tried not to remember, biting his lip as he set down another knife. Now he was here, setting the table for a queen he barely knew. He already hated Wonderland, and he wanted nothing more than to go home and curl up in his bed.

Bram was so deep in his thoughts that he hardly noticed that someone was approaching him. He only noticed her when unintentionally backing into her interrupted his thoughts.

He made a yelp of surprise and turned around. "Hey! What are you..." he trailed off when it dawned on him: this was the Queen of Hearts herself.

She was an older woman, with oddly shaped eyebrows and red hair perched on her head like a strange bird. She wore a magnificent gold and red ball gown, and she held a fan in her hands. The queen stared down at Bram, her eyes narrowing at him with a mix of confusion and anger. The entire staff went silent, waiting to see what she would do.

Bram swallowed, recalling his earlier days of talking to royalty. He knelt down and muttered, "My apologies, ma'am,"

"Get up!" she snapped, whacking him on the head with her fan. "Just what do think you're doing, bowing before me!?"

Bram was at a loss for words. "I..."

The Queen of Hearts tilted her head. "Why speak and waste voice? Anyway, I do not recognize you as part of my staff. Are you new? Or have you been here so long I have forgotten your face?"

"N-new, ma'am,"

"Hmph, figures," she scanned him, her brows knitting together. "You're very handsome,"

Bram tried not to make eye contact. "T-thank you, ma'am-"

She grabbed his shoulders and turned him towards her, staring into his eyes. Bram panicked and squirmed, but stopped himself when she released him.

"Sit beside me," she nodded at him, turning and walking away.

Back at the cottage, Red mixed up some fresh coffee and passed the cups around the kitchen table. Badwolf sat at the head of the table, his hands folded before him as he stared ahead.

Cerise tapped her steaming mug as she watched her father, and she glanced over at Brocko. He was looking at something on his phone, but after a moment, he switched it off and put it in his pocket.

Badwolf set down his mug, sitting up and clearing his throat. "The culture in Ever After, especially among wolves, is one that affects your life no matter what," he paused, and he sipped his coffee. "I should...I should start by making it clear that wolves are not what I hate. How could I hate them? I am one- what I don't like is pack mentality,"

"Pack mentality?" Brocko repeated, a little confused.

"I mean, the way alphas and omegas are divided," he explained. "This 'survival of the fittest' idea that a lot of wolf packs have. I wasn't supposed to be the wolf to follow the Big-Bad destiny, but my mother had a litter of eight, and I was the only one who lived. They gave me the position of the wolf in Red's destiny by default, but everyone knew I wasn't fit for it. I was far too weak,"

Cerise was rather stunned to hear this. Her father, the weakest wolf in the pack? He sure didn't look it, with his broad shoulders and large hands. She wondered how he'd become what he was today.

Badwolf continued. "Had my siblings survived, maybe I could have been in the omega ranking, but my father was the leader and he put me in the Alpha rankings only because of who I was destined to be, and the other wolves hated me for it. I was too weak, they said. I was too slow, I couldn't hunt that well. The worst was when my grandfather got angry at me one day and said, 'death left the wrong one behind',"

When she heard this, Red sighed audibly and hid her face. Badwolf noticed, and he held her hand.

"Graduation day was a blessing," he went on. "When high school ended for me, I took Red and went far, far away. I never spoke to my pack again, and I don't think I ever will," he looked back at Red and noted, "If they find out who it was I married, I'll never hear the end of it,"

Red did a strange laugh. "I certainly never heard the end of it from my grandmother," she began mimicking an old woman's voice. "'He tried to eat me and he dressed in my clothes, and now you're having his babies!? You are a devil, Red!' She spat on him, too,"

Badwolf shook his head, lowering his coffee cup. "Ugh, I remember,"

Cerise stifled a giggle. She'd heard that story several times, how her great-grandmother had reacted when she learned Red and Badwolf were not only married but expecting twins. The thought of Great-Grandma Velona going off on Badwolf and even spitting on him seemed funny for some reason.

The tension seemed to fade away after this, and Brocko took a breath before speaking. "So, you were just trying to keep Cerise and Ramona away from a toxic culture? Or, at least, one you thought was toxic based on your experience?"

"Well..." Badwolf thought about it. "Yes, I suppose,"

"You do understand that not every pack is like that, right?"

Badwolf's brows furrowed. "But...it's enough of them. It's enough of them to make me stay away,"

"The ones here are different," Brocko began. "The idea of Alpha and Omega separation isn't as forced, now, and while some packs do it, the ones in New Salem tend to stay away from it. Your daughters really weren't in any danger- you have nothing to worry about,"

Badwolf was noticeably anxious, but he looked Brocko in the eyes. "If I trust you," his voice was low. "Do you promise you and the other wolves won't force my daughters into roles they may not want to be in?"

Brocko nodded. "Of course I promise! I've never done that to anyone,"

Badwolf reached out and gripped Brocko's hand, shaking it. "Then don't let me down,"

Cerise felt as though she could leap for joy, but at the same time, there was a nagging feeling within her. She remembered Isengrim, and she wondered: was he the reason Ever After packs were so cruel?

As Valentine tied down another tablecloth, Lizzie approached, wearing a fine blood-red gown. "Valentine?"

He looked up, noticing her dress. "That dress looks wonderful,"

"What are you doing setting tables!?" she demanded to know, grabbing his hand and tugging him away. "You're a guest!"

"See," he pointed to the mustached man from earlier. "There was a misunderstanding, he thinks I'm a servant-"

Lizzie growled. "Not again. Thomas!"

The man shuffled hurriedly up to Lizzie, where he took her hand and kissed it. "Y-yes, young mistress?"

"He is _not_ a servant!" she pointed towards Valentine as she berated Thomas."Does he look like one!?"

Thomas stuttered. "W-well, see-"

"You set up the tablecloths, you miserable boob!" Lizzie ripped the cloth Valentine had just tied down off the table and handed it to Thomas. "Come on, Valentine,"

As the two of them walked away, Valentine turned to look at Lizzie. He recalled how she'd threatened Deuce at the party."You know, you can be very hostile when you want to be,"

Lizzie glanced up. "Yes...I need to be. Every Queen of Hearts does," she looked out towards the front of the castle. "Oh, look- the Red Queen comes,"

The Red carriage pulled up, with the knights and guards marching beside it. Chase went up to the door as the carriage slowed, and he helped the Red Queen out and on to the pavement.

The Red Queen pulled her hand away from Chase's, and she marched up the front doors where the Queen of Hearts stood.

"Hello, Eudora," the Red Queen greeted emotionlessly.

The Queen of Hearts nodded. "Hello, Rouge. You're looking absolutely abhorrent,"

"And so are you," the Red Queen answered back without a glimmer of humor. "Shall we get this over and done with?"

"Yes," the Queen of Hearts turned away. "Come along- I promise I did not put a laxative in your soup this time,"

Valentine and Bram had just seated themselves when the two queens graced the scene, and everyone present clapped. After some greetings, the Queen of Hearts stepped forward and began to speak.

"We are here, once again, for the third annual peace talk," she fanned herself as she talked. "Perhaps this will be the time we actually come to an agreement, but who can say?"

Valentine quirked a brow, and he leaned towards Lizzie. " _Third_ annual?"

"Yes," Chase answered as he pulled up a chair. "They never do come to an agreement,"

Lizzie's hand instinctively went to her midriff. "And they certainly won't now..."

A knot of worry formed in Valentine's stomach. This couldn't go well.

As a server came around with some drinks, the two queens approached the table and took their seats. The Red Queen sat right beside Valentine, eyeing him. "Who are you?"

Valentine took a drink from the tray, answering, "I'm one of Lizzie's friends, ma'am,"

"Is that who you both are?" the Queen of Hearts looked towards Bram, who tried not to look at her. "I could have sworn you were servants,"

Lizzie jumped in. "Well, they aren't, that was Thomas's mistake,"

The Queen of Hearts didn't take her eyes off Bram. "I see..."

Valentine picked up the glass and took a swig, only to cough and sputter in surprise. "What is that!?"

"Hot gooseberry," a nearby sever noted, and the Red Queen burst into laughter.

"Ha! I take it the mosquito isn't from Wonderland, is he?" she turned her attention back to the other queen. "Your daughter has the funniest acquaintances, doesn't she? Anyway, we should talk a bit about immigration..."

Lizzie sighed a bit, turning to Valentine. "Thank you,"

Valentine blinked a few times to banish the burning sensation in his eyes, and he cleared his throat. "Um, y-you're welcome,"

The conversation was civil, unlike it had been in the past, but Lizzie and Chase waited anxiously to for their moment. As the Red Queen concluded a statement on tariffs, Lizzie sat up and cut in.

"Mother? I have something to say..."

The Queen of Hearts looked confused as she cut a roasted mushroom in two. "What is it, dear?"

Lizzie swallowed nervously, fidgeting. "Mother, I'm...I'm having a baby,"

The silverware clattered to the plate, and the whole table went silent. "W-what!?" the Queen of Hearts stammered, her eyes wide. "You are!?" when Lizzie only nodded, the Queen persisted. "How long have you known!?"

Lizzie hesitated before answering. "A little over two months,"

"Two months!?" the Queen of Hearts stood up, clenching her fist. "You waited two months to tell me!?"

The Red Queen snorted with contempt. "And they say the Hearts family is well-behaved!"

Chase took Lizzie's hand, staring up at the Red Queen defiantly. "I'm the father!"

"What!?" the Red Queen's mouth fell open, and she raced around the table to cuff Chase's ears. "You little tramp! Do you have any idea what this is going to cost my leadership!?"

"What leadership!?" the Queen of Hearts fired back. "The type that lets your precious knights from nowhere make love to princesses!?"

The arguments escalated, and Valentine was at a loss for really what do. Was it even his place to speak?

But he didn't have to do anything, as Bram had finally had enough.

 _"SHUT UP, SHUT UP, SHUT UP!"_ Bram screamed, jumping up and pounding his fists on the table. _"I DON'T CARE IF THIS IS WONDERLAND! I DON'T CARE IF YOU'RE ROYALTY! THIS IS NOT HOW LEADERS BEHAVE, AND THIS IS CERTAINLY NOT HOW ADULTS BEHAVE! SO SHUT YOUR DAMN MOUTHS!"_

Everyone was dead quiet. As the anger Bram felt slowly dissipated, he realized in horror what he'd done. He tried to speak. "I...I'm sorry, I just..." he felt throat tightening, so he did what he believed was the next logical thing: he ran away.

"Bram!" Valentine called after him as he watched him run to the hedge garden. "Bram, come back!"


	44. Chapter 44

Chapter 44:

 _"Hi! You have reached Gory Fangtell's cell phone. I'm not available right now, so leave a message and I'll get back to you when I feel like it,"_

Bram swallowed after the beep, taking a breath. "H-hey, Gory. I know you're mad at me, but hear me out: the Queen of Hearts is probably going to execute me soon, and I wanted to let you know that...I love you. I'm hiding in the garden right now-"

A mechanical beeping cut him off, and he realized with a sigh that he'd run out of message time. He shoved his phone back in his pocket, covering his eyes and groaning.

There he was, hiding in a castle hedge garden and waiting for...he didn't actually know what. He felt so miserable and embarrassed, huddled up on the stone cold bench. He wanted to go home.

"Excuse me?"

Bram nearly jumped a foot, whirling around to see the Queen of Hearts standing above him. She was alone, no guards or soldiers beside her, and her face was expressionless.

"May I sit?" her voice was soft as she gestured to the empty spot on the bench.

After a few seconds, Bram nodded. "Y-yes, ma'am,"

The Queen of Hearts sat down, smoothing out her skirt and folding her hands. She turned to look at Bram, and she remarked, "You're very brave for someone so nervous,"

Bram looked up, meeting her eyes. "...what?"

"The way you yelled today," she cleared her throat, straightening up. "At both me and the Red Queen- it was quite a courageous act, screaming at two monarchs without fear of punishment,"

"I'm sorry," Bram murmured, hiding his face.

"Oh, don't apologize, child!" the Queen reached her hand out and touched his chin. "Who are you?"

Bram thought about it. "Um...my name is Bram DeVein. I'm a Monster High student, and I actually don't know your daughter very well,"

The Queen quirked an eyebrow. "Really?"

"No," he forced a small laugh. "See, my friend, he...dragged me here,"

"By your arm or your leg?"

"Not literally,"

"Hm," her brows knit together. "How peculiar you are. You're unhappy, I can see that reflected in your eyes,"

Bram chewed on his lip. "Well...aren't you going to punish me?"

The Queen seemed rather amused by this idea. "Why would I do that?"

"I acted out of order-"

"Order!" the Queen scoffed. "What order? You're obviously new here, child,"

Bram felt himself laugh- a real laugh, not a forced one. "Yeah, you'd be correct about that. Also, could you not call me 'child'? I'm probably older than you,"

He expected her to be confused, but she only shrugged. "Fair enough. What must I call you?"

"How about by my name?" he suggested. "'Bram',"

The Queen nodded, smiling indulgently. "Of course. All right, Bram- why are you so unhappy?"

"Because-" Bram started, but he stopped himself. "I don't think you'd understand,"

"Understand? I don't have to understand what you feel to help you,"

Bram felt his phone buzz, and glanced down to see a text from Gory:

 _"Why haven't I blocked your number yet? Leave me alone, cheater."_

He laid his phone back down, blinking back the tears and saying, "My girlfriend thinks I cheated on her, but I didn't! Or, at least, I didn't mean to..."

"You didn't mean to cheat?" the Queen seemed surprised. "Well, if it was an accident, then it was an accident!"

"That's...okay, look," he felt weird explaining this to a woman he barely knew, but it didn't matter. "A woman disguised herself as my girlfriend, and I didn't realize it until it was too late. She just...she..." Bram choked up a little. "I tried to leave, but...maybe I didn't try hard enough. She wasn't that big, she was small, so why couldn't I have just pushed her off? Maybe it was my fault..."

The Queen cut in. "No! It was not your fault at all," her voice was lower, and she seemed angry. "What was the woman's name?"

"I-I didn't know her name!" Bram exclaimed, exasperated. "I never caught it, even after it turned out she was working for Van Hellscream-"

"Who?"

Bram took another deep breath. "He's a monster hunter, and he's teamed up with the Evil Queen to-"

"Hang on!" the Queen of Hearts cut in again. "The Evil Queen, you say!?"

"Um..." Bram swallowed. "Yes,"

The Queen leaned back, closing her eyes and pursing her lips together. After a few seconds, she opened her eyes. "Thank you, Bram. I wasn't aware that festering sore of a woman was free," She stood up and offered Bram her hand. "Shall we go back to the luncheon?"

Bram hesitantly put his pale hand on hers. "Sure,"

It was about 4:00 in the afternoon at this point.

Cerise laid up against her bedroom wall, staring out the window ahead as Brocko sat on the bed beside her and looked at his phone. All was quiet until Cerise turned to look at him.

"Thank you," she stated simply.

Brocko looked up from his phone. "For what?"

"For not getting angry," she explained. "You were so calm, so collected. I thought for sure you and my dad would get into a fight,"

Brocko scoffed. "Why would you think that? Besides, he would win,"

Cerise couldn't help but chuckle: he wasn't wrong. "Well, yeah. Thanks anyway," there was a silence, and Cerise asked, "Isn't your mom waiting for you?"

"Ah, no," he sighed. "It won't matter to her. We don't really get along,"

"Oh," Cerise wondered what that was like, to have a troubled relationship with both parents. She loved her parents, and there were times when they argued, but she could never imagine saying that she couldn't get along with them. She pitied him for this, and she wondered how she could make him feel better.

Cerise leaned in and put her head on Brocko's shoulder like she'd done earlier. She sighed, and she felt her heart skip a little when he put his arm around her. It was so perfect, but Cerise couldn't help herself and blurted out, "I think I love you,"

She startled, surprised at the words that came out of her own mouth. For a moment, she hoped that he hadn't heard her, but then he said, "You know what?" he picked up his phone again and tapped a few buttons. "I feel the same way,"

Some music started playing from Brocko's phone, and he pulled away from Cerise, only to lean in and kiss her on the mouth.

It took Cerise a few seconds to realize what was happening, but once she was aware, she grabbed his ears and ferociously kissed him back. They kissed for a few minutes until Brocko pushed her down and pinned her to the mattress, and Cerise realized with a start what was about to happen.

"Brocko-" she began, nervous, and he kissed her cheek. "Brocko, my parents-"

He only turned the music up louder. "It'll be fine,"

Outside, Red and Badwolf were busy chopping up wood for the fireplace when Ramona came out.

"Mom? Dad?" her voice trembled slightly, trying to keep from laughing. "Cerise and her 'friend' are blasting music from upstairs,"

Badwolf looked confused. "Well, if it's bothering you, you should ask them to stop," when Ramona stared at him, he laid the ax down. "Fine, I can do it-"

"No," Red grabbed his shoulder. "They're not...they're not just playing music,"

"What do you-?" Badwolf stopped. "...oh,"

Ramona snickered. "I am never gonna let her live this down!"

Lizzie paid an escort to take Bram and Valentine back home, and once this was done, she retired to the castle bath for a soak.

As she balanced her Mirror-Pad on the edge of the tub, the door opened. Lizzie looked up to see her mother walk in.

"Hello, mother," she greeted, her voice soft.

The Queen of Hearts stopped to run a hand through her daughter's damp hair. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine,"

"Do you plan on staying this week?"

Lizzie nodded, scrolling down on her Mirror-Pad. "Just for the night, mother. I hope you don't mind,"

The Queen of Hearts turned to the dressing table, where she undid the buns on her head and let her long, red hair fall down her shoulders. "Of course. You know how much I love seeing you here,"

Lizzie smiled and continued checking the Mirror-News, but she gasped when she saw a new update. "Mother! Snow White has declared war on the Evil Queen! And so has King Charming!"

"Oh, I know," the Queen ran a brush through her thick locks. "I'm declaring war as well,"

"What!?" Lizzie nearly dropped her Mirror-Pad in the tub. "You can't be serious!"

"Lizzie, you have nothing to worry over," the Queen knelt down beside her daughter, touching her shoulder. "Just take your bath and relax, and I'll be on my way to a meeting with Snow and Charming,"

Lizzie tried to argue. "But-!"

The thought hit her that no matter what she did, there would be a war. She hated the thought of Wonderland getting involved in any war, although Wonderland soldiers from any kingdom were usually feared for their resilience. Whenever the Queen of Hearts had her mind set on something there was no changing it.

"I'll be back," the Queen whispered, kissing Lizzie's cheek. "Stay here and take care of yourself and the baby,"

When the Queen left the room, Lizzie leaned back in the tub and closed her eyes. "Please," she murmured, to no one, but she hoped a higher power of some sort was listening. "Keep us safe,"

The wind blew harshly across a frozen tundra, howling out a high-pitched wail. Snow blew like dust, and through it all, a white wolf graced in, paw by paw.

Her eyes glowing blue, she stared up at the tumultuous sky and whispered, _"I'll be there soon. Believe,"_

Cerise woke up with a start, gripping her sheets to rid herself of the icy chill in her body.

She sat up slowly, running her hands through her hair as she glanced at the clock. It read 6:30 PM.

Cerise looked beside her, seeing that Brocko was still asleep, and she ran a hand through his blonde hair. It was mostly to calm herself down, but she couldn't help but smile when he sighed in his sleep.

As she slipped her underwear back on, she became aware of the sound of conversation coming from downstairs. She paused, listening: she couldn't pick up any actual words, but there was an unfamiliar masculine voice speaking, and it sounded like her father was answering back. Who could it be?

Brocko blinked, raising his head. "Ugh...what time is it?"

"It hasn't been that long," Cerise kept her voice low. "There's someone talking to my dad, but I don't recognize the voice,"

Brocko's ears twitched, and he listened. "It's probably no one important,"

"My dad hardly ever has people over here," Cerise explained, re-buttoning her shirt. "He doesn't want anyone from Ever After to know what happened between him and my mom, so I don't know who it could be,"

Brocko shrugged as he tugged his jeans back up. "I'm sure it's nothing, Cerise. We can look,"

Cerise slipped her cloak back on, and she stopped. "Brocko, I had a weird dream just now,"

"Hm?" he pulled his shirt back on.

"There was...this wolf. This giant she-wolf, with blue eyes and white fur. It was the Alpha Queen! She said-"

Before Cerise could finish, her door opened, and Ramona walked in. "There's a creepy hitchhiker here and he won't leave!" Ramona hissed. "Dad even let him bring his cow inside! I swear to God, if that thing messes up the floor, we're having beef stew tonight!"

"What?" Cerise tilted her head. "A hitchhiker? I don't understand. Does dad know him?"

"No!" Ramona sighed, pulling up a chair. "He's just some random guy, who-" Ramona stopped as she touched the wood of the chair, and she stood up in disgust. "Ew! Why is this sticky! You guys are gross,"

As she stormed out, Brocko glanced over at the chair. "But we didn't touch it,"

"I spilled juice there," Cerise explained quickly. She walked out into the hallway and gestured for Brocko to follow her. "Come on, I have a weird feeling about this,"

After making the trek down the stairs, Cerise and Brocko were greeted by the sight of a strange man sitting across the kitchen table from Badwolf and a big, brown cow standing nearby.

"...but that's just the way it worked out," the man concluded, sipping at a mug of tea.

Badwolf nodded. "Yes, I know what you mean,"

Cerise took a moment to study this stranger: he was tall and thin, with frizzy black and gray hair trailing to his shoulders. He wore a few layers of furs, and there were leaves tangled in his hair. He was much older, with dark brown skin that had seen better days. When Cerise and Brocko entered, Badwolf looked up.

"Hello, you two! This is the Wanderer, and he's on his way to New Salem,"

 _The Wanderer?_ Cerise jolted a bit in surprise when he stood up and shook her hand.

"Why, hello there, young ones," the Wanderer greeted, shaking Brocko's hand as well. "I'll only be stopping here briefly, but your father was nice enough to give directions, so my friend and I stayed a while,"

Cerise glanced at the cow, assuming that was his friend. The cow did have eyes that were almost human...

"Who are you?" Cerise asked the Wanderer. "Not to be rude, I-"

He cut her off. "That's not important right now, just know that I'm here to help. I'm a servant of Iolanthe, you see?"

"Iolanthe!?" Brocko stepped forward, his interest peaked. "You mean the sorceress!? You know her!?"

The Wanderer chuckled. "Iolanthe has many servants, but I'm the one traveling with her to settle the differences between these two worlds. Because, as you know, they were once the same world,"

"Where is Iolanthe now?" Brocko wanted to know, ecstatic.

Before the Wanderer could answer, a feminine voice came from behind Cerise. "I'm here,"

Everything stopped. Cerise turned around, seeing no one except the cow. _No,_ Cerise thought, nearly laughing. _It would be too silly. It can't be-_

"I am Iolanthe," the cow spoke in a voice that was deep and rich and very out of place. "And I've come to make up for the wrong I did to the world,"

* * *

 **Hi, everyone! Sorry that this chapter is a little shorter than the last couple ones, but at least we ended up on a good cliffhanger. Are any of you surprised? I bet none of you expected that powerful sorceress I was building up to be a literal cow! I got the idea while in Ireland...that was a while ago.**

 **So, I'm on Spring Break, now! You're probably gonna be seeing a bit more of me than normal since I have some other stories I want to try my hand at, but we'll see. Nothing big, just some one-shots...**

 **Once again, if you have any questions, comments, or theories, I would love to hear them! Leave them in a review below, and I will see you next chapter!**


	45. Chapter 45

Chapter 45:

"Wait, what!? No! I mean...how!?" Brocko began pacing as everyone else stared in silent awe. "This has to be...I know! This happens in fairy tales all the time! R-right, Cerise?"

Cerise turned to look at him, one eyebrow raised. "Huh?"

"You got turned into a cow, right?" Brocko gestured at Iolanthe. "I bet that's what it was! Some wizard or something turned you into a cow,"

Iolanthe only shook her head. "No, I've always been a bovine and only a bovine. Does my appearance really matter that much to you?"

Brocko looked embarrassed. "Well...it's just that every time there was a picture of you in our textbooks, you were always a witch or something. I didn't mean to upset you,"

"It's quite all right- I was once owned by a sorcerer named Merlin. When Merlin was dying, he put the last of his magic into me, and he told me to be the good in the world," she lowered her head, her voice going soft. "He'd be ashamed of me,"

"Nonsense!" the Wanderer patted Iolanthe's left shoulder. "Considering what you have accomplished, he'd be incredibly proud of you,"

Iolanthe sighed. "Thank you, Wanderer," she straightened up, looking at Badwolf. "Sir Badwolf, thank you for your hospitality, but Wanderer and I must be on our way,"

Badwolf sat there, looking rather confused. "Um...you're welcome,"

Iolanthe and the Wanderer turned to leave, and Cerise suddenly heard herself speaking. "I-Iolanthe, wait," when Iolanthe stopped, Cerise took a breath. "I...I had a dream about Lupine...the Alpha Queen. I was just wondering if..."

She trailed off when Iolanthe closed her eyes and inhaled deeply through her large nostrils. "Lupine, my dear friend. She is returning soon, I can feel it," she opened her eyes, and they met Cerise's eyes. "She's calling you, and for a reason,"

"Why?" Cerise wanted to know.

Iolanthe did not answer, and she left with the Wanderer at her side. "Godspeed. Godspeed to all of you,"

Now out in the woods, the Wanderer and Iolanthe walked side-by-side towards New Salem.

"Who is this 'Killian' boy you're after?" the Wanderer asked, leaning against his walking stick. "I don't think you've told me,"

"He's another servant of mine," Iolanthe explained, looking towards the sky. "I've communicated with him mentally, and I told him about the future I've seen,"

The Wanderer looked puzzled. "And you haven't told me?"

Iolanthe went silent. After a moment, she responded, "He needed to know. He saw Nowhere's Land,"

"Did he?" the Wanderer's brows knitted together. "I take it he saw too much?"

"You would be right, but he didn't see _her_ ,"

They eventually arrived in the town, where they stumbled across a Victorian-style house. On the porch swing lay a crumpled-up figure, a young girl, who appeared to be weeping.

Iolanthe looked towards the porch, remarking, "That young soul is in distress,"

"Yes," the Wanderer's voice sounded far away as he watched the girl.

There was a pause, and Iolanthe turned to him. "Do you know her?"

The Wanderer shook his head. "Not her, but someone like her," he looked back at Iolanthe. "Would you mind too much if I visited with her?"

"Do you want to?" Iolanthe inquired. "Before I see Killian, I need to confront the ones I told him about. Are you sure you don't want to see them?"

"I'll meet with you at that building tomorrow morning," the Wanderer pointed at a gas station several feet away. "And then I'll see the 'sisters' with you,"

Iolanthe dipped her head in respect. "Very well. Goodnight, my Wanderer,"

As Iolanthe walked away, the Wanderer turned his attention back to the porch. Pressing his walking stick into the earth, he made his way up the steps with some difficulty and he stopped beside the swing.

"Young lady," his voice was gentle, and the girl lifted her head up. "What's put you in such distress?"

The girl, bundled in a jacket that was a size too big for her, startled at the sight of the Wanderer. "Who are you!?"

"No need to be afraid," he assured. "I'm here to help, not to hurt. I sensed your energy, and I could tell that you're like me,"

"What do you mean?" the girl sniffed, wiping her nose. "I-I look nothing like you,"

The Wanderer smiled, sitting beside her on the porch. "Well, maybe not in this form, but I'm a Wendigo, just like you,"

"Really?" the girl looked rather surprised. "You are?"

He nodded. "Yes. Now, what is your name?"

"Riley," she answered, dabbing at her eyes. "And...I lost my parents yesterday,"

"Oh, I'm so sorry," he gave her a sympathetic look. "The worst goodbyes are the ones that are never said or explained, aren't they?" a painful memory, one of leaving behind a family, flickered in his mind, and he grimaced. "Tell me, who's caring for you?"

The front door opened, and a voice inquired, "Have you stopped moping, Riley? We've made chocolate scones if you're..." Ms. Kindergrubber trailed off when she saw the Wanderer. "Who are you!?" she grabbed Riley, pulling her close. "Why are you talking to her!?"

"I was just-" the Wanderer stopped, noticing Kindergrubber's eyes. He gasped audibly. "Oh, my goodness,"

"What are you looking at?" Ms. Kindergrubber snapped. "Get out of here before I slice you up!"

The Wanderer smiled, amused. "Really? You aren't going to call the police, Ingrid?"

"Of course I'm not calling the police! I don't trust those-" she halted, her face going blank. "You...you called me Ingrid,"

The Wanderer only reached out and took her hand, placing it against his cheek.

Even though he'd aged considerably, he had the same, sweet smile on his face that he'd always had. Ingrid's hands trembled, but despite this, she managed to get out his name: _"Wilson!"_

They embraced, and Ingrid burst into tears in a way she never had before. For a moment, Wilson didn't react, but he soon ran his hands through her silver hair and kissed her forehead. Their eyes met, and Ingrid reached out to touch his hair.

"Your hair!" she choked out, rubbing it between her fingers. "It's so beautiful, now,"

A sob escaped Wilson's throat, and he pulled her in for another kiss. "And it wasn't before?"

Riley just stood there and watched, feeling rather awkward as she watched her great-aunt kiss a strange man on the porch. Ingrid pulled away, wiping at her eyes, and she noticed that Riley was still there. "Ah! Riley!" she took Wilson's hand, gesturing to him. "Riley, this is Wilson, Ginger's grandfather!"

Wilson's head turned at the sound of that. "Ginger?"

"Yes, yes!" Ingrid tugged on his hand, leading him to the front door. "Oh, there's so much we need to talk about, Wilson!"

Wilson only laughed. "It would seem that way, yes,"

At the same time, in Ever After, residents from different kingdoms and places all met up at the Conference Hall, where a monarch meeting was about to begin. Monarch meetings were almost a source of entertainment: who wouldn't want to go see kings and queens scream at one another over issues and throw insults at one another? Going to a meeting was actually quite fun, but only adults were allowed in.

Tonight, the three monarchs meeting were King Charming, Queen Snow White, and the Queen of Hearts, and the issue on the table was when and how to take action against the Evil Queen and her accomplices.

People filled the hall's seats as the three leaders all sat at the table. The greetings were exchanged, and the announcer stood up.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he began. "We are here tonight for a Monarch Meeting!" when the applause died down, he continued. "Tonight, our topic of discussion regards the course of action to take against the notorious Evil Queen. Queen Snow White will begin the discussion!"

Snow White stood up without hesitation, a bundle of papers clutched in her hands. "Dearest Ever After subjects: it is my duty as a queen to ensure that ourselves and our children will remain safe within these lands. Due to my responsibility, I wholeheartedly believe that a full militia is necessary to take down the Evil Queen and the vermin who stand with her,"

Gasps rose up from the audience, and King Charming rose up. "Oh, Snow," he countered, somewhat amused. "How fearful you are! The men working for the Evil Queen are equipped only with guns. My children have confirmed this and a spy I sent out even reported that there aren't even that many accomplices. Why waste all that money and resources on a small group, when I could send my trained Ever After High students out to fight?"

The audience protested, and Snow White glared at Charming. "Are you insane!? Send children out on a field!? Charming, the Evil Queen had a slit-mouthed woman at my castle this afternoon, and she murdered many of my men! Those men were good men, highly trained and skilled! What makes you think teenagers taking your classes will be safe!?"

"You forget, Snow," Charming wasn't going to back down anytime soon. "That the woman you're referring to no longer works with the Queen," Charming turned to the audience and remarked, "And my daughter's friends got her on our side within minutes!"

The crowd whistled, and Charming continued. "My boys are trained for battle, Queen White, and I carry only the best of weapons. I assure you, taking down men armed only with guns will be a breeze,"

The Queen of Hearts raised an eyebrow. " _Your_ students? You mean those princes? Half of them aren't even effective! What, they're going to turn into frogs to scare off the enemy?"

 _"HEY!"_ a voice in the back shouted, and heads turned. It was Queen Priscilla Croakington, Hopper's mother, and she was livid. "Do not talk about my son that way! He's as capable as any student!"

Snow White scoffed. "Perhaps you should stop lying to yourself, Priscilla,"

The Queen of Hearts, however, was unamused. "Sit down! If you want to interject, you should have been part of the meeting," she continued. "Charming, if you want a more effective army, might I suggest combining your class with any student that can perform magic? I realize this would put girls on the field, but-"

"No!" the Dark Fairy piped up. "You can't put my daughter on that field!"

"Oh, really?" Charming wrinkled his nose at the fairy. "And why not? Fayebelle is so brutish anyway, she belongs out there,"

When the Dark Fairy stood up and produced a small flame from her hands, Snow White waved her down. "Stop that! Charming, you can't put children out to battle. It's too dangerous! I've lost a great number of men today, and I don't want any of you to lose your children!"

"Nonsense!" the Queen of Hearts broke in. "Wonderlandian weapons are incredibly deadly. If you equip the students with those, we have no chance of losing against guns,"

Snow White tried to argue. "But-!"

"The Queen of Hearts is right," Charming nodded. "After all, they are only guns!"

"You don't understand!" another voice from the audience broke in. It was Jack Beanstalk this time. "The guns in this world aren't anything like what they have! Their guns are powerful and dangerous, even more so than ours,"

Murmurs of worry brewed, but King Charming brushed it off. "Doesn't matter. Magic is magic and used properly, it can take down any weapon!"

"But the Evil Queen has magic!" Cinderella cried out. "And Charming, your sons will be fighting as well! Don't you worry about them!?"

"Worrying never did anyone any good, Cinderella," Charming fired back. "And why are you so concerned? Your daughter won't be fighting, unless it's her _rebel lover_ you're worried about!"

Attention turned to Cinderella, and cries of, "Don't think we're ignorant, Cindy!" erupted from the back. When they died down, Charming turned to Snow.

"Now, Snow White," he began, a smirk on his face. "We have enough funds, weapons, magic, and support to take out the Evil Queen's accomplices. Do you have any other argument against why war-trained students and students with magic should not be sent out to fight?"

Snow stuttered. "B-because-" she took a breath. "It's just...wrong! They've not experienced what you have!"

King Charming tutted. "That's where you're wrong. Have you forgotten the Dragon Games, Snow?"

"That was different," Snow tried to say, but Charming went on.

"They aren't babies! They know how to organize themselves and fight. And besides- they may get their monster friends to help,"

"The monsters!?" Puss in Boots shouted. "They're the reason we got into this!"

The Queen of Hearts responded, "And they may help us get out of it," she turned to Snow. "Have you come to a decision?"

Snow tried to speak. "Well...I..." she hung her head, defeated. "I suppose..."

"Wait!"

Snow looked up and her brow furrowed. "Father!?"

The Good King came running into the court, with Milton Grimm at his side. "Snow, please think!" the Good King begged. "If any student with magic is drafted, that means Raven has to fight! Forget destiny just for a moment and think of your _sister!_ Raven's too young! Ask the Headmaster himself!"

No one had seen Headmaster Grimm in days, so seeing him now was rather startling. He looked tired, but that didn't stop him as he stepped forward.

"Please," he pleaded, glancing around at everyone in the room. "You were all my students once. Would you have done this, had it been you? Put yourselves in their positions- would you fight in a war in high school?"

King Charming thought for a moment. "Of course I would," he concluded. "Being a hero was my destiny. The destiny _you_ persuaded me to follow,"

Milton Grimm's face fell. "Well...well, you must consider-"

"Oh, yeah," the Dark Fairy mused aloud. "I suppose this would help along Fayebelle's destiny,"

"And Hunter's!" the Huntsman chimed in. "If he won't kill a squirrel now, we'll see what happens when he has to kill a man!"

" _STOP!"_ Milton Grimm shouted before more discussions could happen. "This isn't the way to get your children to follow their destinies!"

An old woman stood up and crossed her arms, and Milton knew who it was: Duchess Swan's grandmother. "Then what is the way? Enlighten me: is it getting a headmaster from nowhere to make love to a princess?"

Milton froze, and he wrung his hands, looking to the side. The Good King looked at him pleadingly. "Please, Milton-"

Without another word, Milton turned and walked out, shoving his hands into his pockets. The Good King watched him go in despair, and then he turned to Snow. "Snow, think of Raven. Think of your sister,"

Snow met her father's eyes, and her heart filled with rage. "My sister? The one you had with the woman we're fighting against?" she nodded at a nearby assistant. "Begin a draft sheet,"

Commotion exploded from the audience, and the Good King hung his head. "Oh, Snow," he choked out. "How could you!?"

Rain began to fall.

Ginger stared at the television, watching a strange PSA about an unfamiliar illness with Will curled up beside her.

After her cousins had been orphaned just the night before, Ginger had agreed to spend time with both of them as well as her grandmother. Riley avoided Ginger whenever she got the chance, but Will became very close to her despite his initial shyness.

"Can we watch something else?" Ginger asked politely, grimacing at the PSA's grim details. "Like a movie?"

Will looked up, nodding slowly. "Yeah, sure," he sighed. "All the other Wendigo are so worried about Lynk's disease. You could be a host and not even know it,"

Ignoring that, Ginger changed the channel and opened the cabinet beside the TV, pulling out a stack of VHS tapes. "What are these?" she asked, holding one up.

Will raised an eyebrow. "You've never seen a VHS before? It has movies on it. Put that one in, it's 'Night of the Living Dead', my favorite,"

As Ginger struggled with the strange piece of technology, the door opened slowly. She stopped, looking up. "Um...hello?"

It wasn't that strange to see unfamiliar people walking into rooms in this house, she'd learned, as it had once been a boarding house and Ms. Kindergrubber still occasionally took guests. Ginger had already met some of the residents, such as Robecca Steam and Hoodude, but she hadn't seen this man yet.

He looked her up and down, remarking, "It seems the Wendigo got bred out of you,"

Ginger froze. "What?"

"My dear," he laughed, walking in. "Your grandmother said she told you what happened," he knelt down beside her, taking her hand. "It's me, Wilson,"

Ginger's mouth fell open. Wilson? Her grandfather? The one Kindergrubber had spoken of? Ginger glanced over his shoulder, seeing Kindergrubber standing in the hallway and grinning. This was really happening.

"You're...you're my grandfather?" was all Ginger could get out. "But...you're still alive?"

"Of course I am!" Wilson scoffed. "I'm not that old,"

He didn't really look elderly, but he was certainly older. Ginger found herself unable to speak, so she just embraced him.

Wilson pulled away after a moment, noticing Ginger's glasses. "I see poor eyesight runs in the family,"

"Oh," Ginger fussed with her glasses a little. "Yes, it does. My mother has glasses, too,"

"Your mother?" Wilson turned to look at Ingrid, and then back at Ginger. "Where is she?"

Ginger winced at the idea of her mother meeting Wilson, but she told him anyway. "She's back in Ever After,"

"Ever After," Wilson closed his eyes and shook his head. "I just came back from there. The people there _still_ have old-fashioned ideas about 'destiny'. It's sad," he saw Will sitting on the bed, and he extended a hand towards him. "Come here! How about we all catch up some more in the kitchen?"

Will crawled off the sofa, agreeing, "Sure,"

As everyone made their way downstairs, Ginger stopped and thought for a moment.

She finally had a real family, and things were looking up.

* * *

 **Hi! Okay, this was longer than the others, but I hope that makes up for the shorter chapters!**

 **Not much to say here, except that my Spring break is coming to a close and that my semester ends in less than two months. Also, I have plans to do re-writes of my older stories, so stay tuned for that.**


	46. Chapter 46

Chapter 46:

"You'll need to protect yourself, Ludwig,"

Nine-year-old Ludwig jumped to attention as his father placed the hunting-rifle in his small hands. The rifle was different than most, as the ammunition was specifically designed for killing vampires. Ludwig held the rifle up to the light, struggling a little beneath the weight.

"Is it really mine, Papa?"

"No!" his father snapped. "But, it will be. If you kill at least one vampire tonight, you may keep this rifle,"

Ludwig laid the rifle down, bowing his head towards his father. "Thank you, Papa,"

"Come on, then. Let us prepare for the hunt,"

Ludwig Van Hellscream awoke with a start, wondering why he'd remembered that moment in particular.

He became aware of the tugging at his wrists, and he looked around slowly. "Wh...what?"

"You're awake!" Carlotta's voice chimed from a few feet away. "I thought you'd never get up,"

Van Hellscream realized he'd been handcuffed to the bed with a pair of fuzzy pink cuffs and that he was in Carlotta's living quarters. "Why am I here?!"

Carlotta ran her lipstick across her lips as she stared at herself in the mirror. "You weren't in the best mood last night, so I put a little...treat in your drink. I didn't think you'd mind,"

"I do mind!" Van Hellscream tugged on the cuffs. "Release me at once!"

Carlotta huffed. "You're no fun. Fine,"

She undid the cuffs, and he pulled away quickly, seeing that he was naked. "And give me my clothes, you animal!" Carlotta threw a bundle of clothing at him, and he redressed while glaring at her. "I should kill you for this offense to my dignity!"

"Pfft, what dignity?" Carlotta snickered. "You'd never lay a hand on me. Know why?" she leaned in, grabbing him by the chin. "You love me too much. You love that I can be anything you want me to be, don't you?"

He continued to glare at her, and she just shook her head. "You know I'm right. I'm just your little plaything, aren't I? Well, the tables have turned, and soon you'll be mine,"

Van Hellscream said nothing as Carlotta turned away, and he continued to redress in silence. After a moment, he asked, "What day is it?"

"Sunday," Carlotta answered. "And you missed Queenie's meeting. She's starting a war with the fairytale folk,"

Van Hellscream paused. "What?"

"Oh, yeah," Carlotta tied her hair up. "You might wanna talk to her about it, as she kinda started it without your permission,"

The Evil Queen just finished pouring a cup of steaming hot coffee in her office when Van Hellscream stormed in.

"What is the meaning of this!?" He demanded, pounding his fist on the desk. "This wasn't our plan at all! The MHU are meant for the monsters, not the Ever Afterians!"

The Evil Queen just smirked, sipping her coffee. "Van Hellscream, please have a seat. I've been meaning to talk to you," Van Hellscream sat down in a huff, only to have the Evil Queen push a newspaper clipping in his direction. "Do you recognize this boy?"

Van Hellscream took the clipping, looking it over. "It's...Deuce Gorgon, the boy who petrified me,"

"Indeed," she smiled. "Hellscream, if you let me fight this battle using the men you found, I'll catch this boy for you, and you may do with him what you wish,"

He stared at Deuce's face, and after a moment, he laid the clipping back down. "Fair enough," he agreed after a few seconds. "But don't let me down! And bring him to me alive,"

The time was 9:30 AM.

A car pulled up to the run-down trailer park, once known as 'Heavenly Hills'. It had been a respected neighborhood, but after an outbreak of a bizarre illness, the humans living there fled and abandoned everything. Now, creatures of all types made homes there, remaining isolated in their own community.

The passenger door opened, and Draculaura stepped out, staring apprehensively at the row of trailers. "It looks worst than the last time we were here,"

Clawd stepped out after her, a strange device clutched in his large hand. "Yeah, but I came prepared this time," he squeezed a button, and the device sparked and flickered. "Anyone touches me, they're getting tased!"

Dexter and Raven climbed out of the car, and Dexter looked around in disgust. "What even _is_ this place? It looks like a troll village. Why are we here again?"

"We're here to negotiate with Carlotta, someone who's working with my mom," Raven explained, though she seemed unsure. "That is if she's willing to talk,"

Draculaura sighed, slinging her bag over her shoulder. "Let's just get this over with,"

As they walked through the park, Draculaura pointed to a fairly close trailer. "This one! I remembered the color of the door,"

The door was bright yellow. Upon approaching, Raven took a moment to look at the scenery: there was an overgrown garden, a cracked birdbath covered in mud and vines, and a mildew-coated baby doll laying in a puddle. The baby doll wore a scarf with the words _'YOU'LL FLOAT TOO'_ written across it.

Dexter grimaced at the baby doll. "Oh, no. I already hate this,"

"Stop," muttered Clawd, balling his hand into a fist. "Just...I'll knock,"

He rapped on the door, and there was no response. As Clawd tried again, Raven noticed a man outside the trailer next door. He wore a strange mask, and he was laying uncooked meat from a Ziplock bag onto a grill.

"Is she even here?" Draculaura squinted, trying to look through the window. "I don't see anyone,"

The man at the grill looked up, turning towards the group of teenagers. "You need something?"

Draculaura turned away from the door. "We're looking for Carlotta,"

"Why?" the man scoffed. "Why would you purposely try to find her? Anyway, she's been gone for about a week,"

Raven glanced at the trailer, and then back at the man. "Any idea where she is?"

"Don't know, don't care," he flipped the meat over. "If you're that interested, keep knocking around and asking. Someone who's not me is bound to know,"

The four of them walked away from Carlotta's trailer, and Dexter remarked, "We should just leave. I really don't want to spend another minute here,"

"You said it," Clawd nodded. "Let's-"

"Hey," Raven cut him off, squinting into the distance. "Who's that?"

Down the dirt path, two figures came walking. One was a heavier-set girl with greasy, brown hair, and the other was a hairless creature with pink skin covered in rags. The brown-haired girl whispered something to the creature, and the creature responded with a nod.

Draculaura tugged on Clawd's shirt, and they almost could have left, but the girl yelled out, "Hey!"

The girl got closer, and she flashed a black glove that covered her right wrist. She stopped in front of the group, and she pointed to the pink creature. "She says she doesn't like you,"

All four teenagers exchanged worried glances, and Raven stepped forward. "Well, I'm very sorry. We're leaving, so you don't need to worry,"

"Guess what!?" the girl snapped, clenching her fist. "I don't like you either! The name's Molly, and I'm Carlotta's best friend. Angel over there said you were snooping by her trailer," she gestured to the pink creature. "What exactly do you want Carlotta for?"

"It's not important," Clawd began backing away. "We're gonna-" he yelped in alarm when he backed into Angel, the pink creature, who grabbed him by the shoulders and hissed like a snake. Clawd, however, was prepared, and he pulled out his taser and nailed Angel in the stomach with it.

Angel screed and stumbled into a patch of dirt, and Molly raised her gloved hand. "Oh, _no_ you didn't!" a row of sharp claws burst from Molly's glove, and she exclaimed, "Boy, I'm gonna skin you for this!"

Yet, before the altercation could continue, an unseen force launched Molly backward and into a row of shrubs. Angel was now on her feet, but when she tried to go after Clawd again, she noticed something behind her and screeched loudly in anger.

"Move on, you two!" a feminine voice behind another trailer called out. "There's no reason to attack these folk,"

Molly stumbled to her feet, slightly embarrassed, and she fired back, "They're snooping Carlotta's trailer! They're with the feds, I bet!"

"No one here even likes Carlotta, other than you and her dirty boyfriend!" a long-haired, wide-eyed man with a disfigured face stepped out from the shrubs, holding a long knife. "Beat it, hoes!"

Molly snarled, retracting her claws and grabbing Angel's arm. "You're all gonna pay for this, you hear!?"

When she left, Draculaura burst into tears. As she wept, the man from the shrubs and a few other locals, including Carlotta's masked neighbor, surrounded her and the other teenagers.

"You all right?" the masked man asked as he touched her shoulder.

Clawd protectively put an arm around Draculaura, assuring, "She'll be fine, she's just a little shaken,"

The disfigured man reached into his pocket and pulled out a glowstick, inquiring, "Would a glowstick make you feel better?"

"Dear friends," the feminine voice from earlier called out, getting the locals' attention. "Give them a bit of space, will you?"

As the locals parted, Raven looked over her shoulder to see who had saved them. "Thank you so much! I probably could have done it, but-"

"Not to worry," the stranger assured. "Molly Krueger is all talk, she's much more of a childish coward than her predecessor. Yet Carlotta is not,"

Draculaura glanced up from where she was buried in Clawd's chest, her brow furrowing. She knew that voice...

"Do you have any idea where Carlotta went?" Raven wanted to know. "We were supposed to talk to her,"

"I'm afraid you wouldn't get very far," the stranger admitted. "She's not the conversation type,"

Draculaura turned to look at the stranger, and she pulled away from Clawd in a flash. "Oh, my gosh!" she squealed, covering her mouth in shock.

The stranger met her eyes, and there was a momentary pause. "Draculaura?" the stranger asked, rather surprised.

Draculaura began weeping once more, and she dashed to her old friend. " _Euna!"_

The other three watched in awe as Draculaura embraced the white fox for what felt like an eternity. After a moment, Clawd spoke up. "Wait...you know each other?"

"We do!" Draculaura sobbed, dabbing her eye. "Clawd, this is Euna. I thought she was lost forever!"

Euna laughed a bit. "150 years feels like forever, doesn't it?"

Draculaura shook her head. "I can't believe it was that long ago," she looked around at the trailer park. "Why are you here of all places, Euna?"

"Well, it's a long story. If you and your friends come over for tea, I'll tell it to you,"

"Yes!" Draculaura grabbed Euna's hand, beckoning the others. "Come on, come on!"

Despite their apprehensions, the other three followed Draculaura to Euna's trailer.

The time was 10:00 AM.

Deuce switched off the water in the shower, sliding the glass door open and stepping out. This wasn't the first time he'd showered at the DeNile's house, but the fancy shower took some getting used to.

As he dried off, he couldn't help but laugh when he saw what Cleo was doing. "Babe, you didn't have to come in here with me if you're just gonna keep sleeping,"

Cleo lay on a bathroom mat, wrapped in a bed of towels and the stuffed animals Deuce had bought for her the day before. "I didn't want to be alone," she mumbled, her face buried in the mat.

Deuce knelt beside her, ruffling her hair affectionately and kissing her forehead. "Do you feel better?"

She rolled over, a Woody Woodpecker doll clutched to her chest. She looked tired. "A bit. I'm hungry,"

"Yeah, me too," Deuce slipped on the bathrobe he'd been given. "I think your parents invited me to brunch today?"

Cleo yawned, sitting up. "Oh, they did. Father didn't want to, but Mother wants to get to know you better,"

"Your mom's really cool," Deuce remarked as Cleo stood up and gathered the towels and toys.

"Yes," she sighed. "I suppose she is," Cleo put the stuffed animals on the bathroom shelf, but she kept Woody Woodpecker. She showed him to Deuce. "Deuce, this one is ugly!"

Deuce turned to look, puzzled. "Is he?"

"Yes!" Cleo hugged the doll. "But he's the softest one,"

Deuce chuckled again. "Cleo, I love that you like stuffed animals. That's cute,"

As they went to go get dressed, Cleo responded, "I am not cute! And don't tell anyone about this,"


	47. Chapter 47

Chapter 47:

The one current disagreement within the DeNile family was a specific issue: going out to eat.

When Dedyet DeNile had returned to the household, she made it very clear that she enjoyed restaurants and other public settings. Ramses, her husband, didn't like restaurants one bit: he thought they were dirty and that the staff was rude and the food took too long. Yet, Ramses had become a different manster when his wife returned, and he'd do anything for her.

Now, Deuce sat with the family at a fancy restaurant called, 'The Mockingbird's View', where they had brunch. Things were a bit tense and rather quiet, all except for Nefera DeNile, who talked endlessly about her recent achievements.

"And of course, it was only natural that _I_ got that promotion," Nefera went on, sipping her drink. "I was far better at the tasks than anyone there!"

Dedyet smiled warmly at her older daughter. "Why, Nefera, I'm proud of you,"

"You should be, mother!" Nefera eyed Cleo with a smirk. "Perhaps Cleo should try and get a job next,"

Cleo said nothing and cut her eggs with a fork. Ramses DeNile poured another glass of lemon water and remarked, "Nefera, someday I'd like you to get a real job,"

Nefera's expression changed, and she glared at her father. "And what does that mean?"

"A department store isn't the place for you," Ramses explained, somewhat under his breath.

Before things could get tenser, the baby in the highchair started fussing, and Nefera stared in disgust. The child's name was Lux- he was the newest member of the DeNile family, and his sisters were not fond of him at all.

Dedyet glanced up, and she quickly undid the highchair straps. "Oh, poor lamb! He must be tired," she tucked Lux into the crook of her arm and stroked his head, cooing, "Are you tired, my sweet ray of sunshine?"

Cleo made a faint gagging sound that she thought the others couldn't hear, but they did. It got Dedyet's attention, but rather than getting angry, she stood up a passed the baby over to Cleo. "Here, how about you hold him for a bit, hmm?"

"I- mother!" Cleo recoiled slightly as the squirming child was placed in her hands. Lux's little cries got louder, and he tried to get away from Cleo.

Deuce took this moment to jump in, and he leaned over Cleo's shoulders to make faces at Lux.

Lux stopped his fussing, and he reached for Deuce's snakes. Upon seeing this, Cleo handed Lux to Deuce. "Amuse him, Deuce,"

Deuce hoisted Lux up, letting him play with his snake-hawk. As Lux squealed and ran his small hands through the snakes, Deuce assured everyone else, "They won't bite him- they're actually pretty harmless,"

Ramses started to stand up and reach for Lux, but Dedyet flagged him down. She stared at Deuce fondly. "You're very good with him,"

"Well, I have a lot of little cousins, so I- hey!" Deuce gently pulled Lux's hands away from his shades. "You don't wanna pull those off, little guy!"

"Yes, that's a good idea," Ramses quickly reached for Lux and took him back, eyeing Deuce. "No son of mine is becoming a statue,"

Cleo huffed. "Father, Deuce has never even turned me!"

"Indeed," Dedyet continued to smile as she sipped her drink. "You picked a good boy, Cleo,"

Deuce and Cleo exchanged glances, and Cleo rubbed Deuce's hand. "I did, didn't I?"

The atmosphere could have improved after that, but it did not. At that moment, Nefera decided to ruin things by pulling out her phone.

"Hey, everyone," Nefera grinned manically as she scrolled through Hisstagram. "Who wants to see what Cleo did on Friday night?"

"Don't!" Cleo hissed through gritted teeth, but it was no use.

Nefera passed the iCoffin to Ramses, who was quite taken aback. "Cleo! Is this you fighting with a werecat!? And... _losing!?_ "

Cleo covered her face, horribly embarrassed. She wished she could disappear...

"Oh, Cleo!" Dedyet reached for her daughter, concerned. "Honey, is that where your bruise came from?"

"I don't want to talk about it!" Cleo fired back, pulling away. "I...I think I was possessed or something,"

Nefera snorted. "Possessed, huh? Of course, you'd say..." she trailed off, her eyes darting to Cleo's tote bag. "What is that?"

Cleo gripped her bag and pulled it protectively to her chest. "Nothing,"

Deuce tried to defend Cleo. "Nefera, come on-"

"Out of my way, snake-peasant!" Nefera chided, slapping Deuce's hand as she yanked away Cleo's bag. She dug around inside and retrieved the Woody Woodpecker doll, feigning a dramatic gasp. "Well, would you look at this! A little dolly!"

Cleo tried to snatch it back, but Nefera wouldn't relent. "Aren't you a little too old for such things?" Nefera waved the doll in the air, trying to get as much attention as possible. "My sister is fighting like a dirty peasant and playing with dolls! You still think she picked a good boy, mother!?"

Cleo couldn't stand it, and she grabbed her steaming cup of coffee and flung the liquid at Nefera. Nefera yelped in alarm and dropped the doll as the hot beverage stained her dress. "Ah! Look what you've done!"

Part of the hot coffee inadvertently splashed poor Lux, and he began wailing right away. Ramses stood up once more, this time in a fit of rage. " _CLEO!_ "

"Oh, what do I care!?" Cleo stamped her foot, rising up out of her chair. "You care more about that little brat than me!"

"That's not true!" Dedyet tried to say while on the verge of tears, but Cleo wasn't having any of it.

"I'm running away with Deuce, and I'm never coming back!" Cleo sobbed, grabbing her bag and storming out.

Deuce sat there dumbfounded for a moment, at a loss of what to do. He did what he considered to be the most reasonable thing, and he grabbed Woody Woodpecker by the leg while apologizing to Cleo's parents. "I'm...I'm really sorry about this,"

"You should be!" Nefera scolded, looking down at her coffee stained dress. "How dare you turn my sister into a disgusting peasant like you!?"

"Nefera!" Dedyet shouted, her voice sounding strained. She turned to Deuce, and she had a look in her eyes that broke his heart. "Please bring Cleo back. Tell her we're sorry and that we really do love her," she rubbed Lux's back as his sobs simmered down. "Tell her that Lux would miss her too much,"

Deuce nodded, and he shook Dedyet's hand. "I'll do that," he assured, and he walked out with the doll clutched in his hands.

He found Cleo in his car in the parking lot, where she sat in the passenger side and cried into the car's dashboard. Deuce opened the door and climbed into the driver's side, where he hugged her tightly.

"Babe, babe," he spoke in a gentle voice as he soothed her by stroking her hair. "Hey, you'll be okay,"

Cleo only sobbed and sobbed, blubbering out, "I hate them! I hate my family! They don't understand me!"

"Your mom told me to tell you that she's sorry," Deuce pulled away and wiped at Cleo's eyes. "She really loves you,"

Cleo shook her head, pressing her eyes shut. "She's only saying that!"

"No, no, she meant it," Deuce reached down and grabbed Woody, handing him to Cleo. "Here's Woody,"

Cleo sniffed, staring at the toy silently. After a moment, she tossed him to the backseat. "I'm too old for this stuff,"

Woody landed on a blanket with a strange lump beneath it, and the lump jerked up. Smokey perked up his head from the blanket, and he sniffed Woody curiously.

"Aw, Smokey!" Deuce exclaimed. "How long have you been back there!?"

Smokey snuffed and grabbed Woody in his mouth, dropping the doll on Deuce's lap. Deuce couldn't help but chuckle. "Buddy, come on,"

Cleo wiped her eyes with a tissue, and Deuce's attention turned back to her. "You know what, Cleo? Let's take a little break. Look what I have," he opened the glove compartment, pulling out a stack of coupons. "I got some food and drink coupons for Scarien Lake! You love going there, right?"

"Scarien Lake?" Cleo tossed the tissue in the garbage, sniffling. "Y-yeah, that sounds nice,"

Deuce smiled, leaning in and planting a kiss on Cleo's lips. "Thought so. You're gonna feel better after this, trust me,"

The car drove off down the road, and Deuce didn't even notice the giant crow flying right behind them.

They pulled into the parking lot, and the sounds of seagulls and rushing water greeted them. Deuce opened up the door and inhaled deeply. "Do you smell that, Cleo?"

"Smell what?" Cleo asked, pulling out her pocket mirror to fix her eyeliner. "The lake air, or the hot dog smell that makes me concerned about the atmosphere?"

Deuce just laughed. "You're so funny! Come on,"

Cleo made a face at her reflection. "Give me a moment, will you? I need to clean up before I go anywhere,"

"Okay, fair enough. I think there are some towels in the trunk from last time,"

Deuce shut the door behind him, only to feel something fall beside his feet. He looked down, seeing it was Woody. "Ha! Cleo just can't decide what to do with you, can she?" he bent down to pick the toy up but froze when he noticed a pair of feet standing right near him.

Cleo had just finished fixing the wing of her eyeliner when Smokey began whining and pawing at the door. She raised a brow. "What is it, Smokey?"

Smokey's whines got louder, and he looked at Cleo as if he wanted her to understand something. Cleo glanced out the window, seeing that Deuce was gone.

"Deuce?" she got out, walking to the trunk. The trunk was closed, and when she tugged on it, it was locked. "Deuce!"

Cleo went to the driver's side, only to stop dead in her tracks.

Lying on the ground was Woody Woodpecker, and beside him was Deuce's wallet.

Fearing the worst, Cleo snatched the wallet in rooted through it, finding the money, the coupons, and even his credit card untouched. There were no visible signs of a struggle; it was almost like he vanished.

Smokey finally burst free from the backseat door, and he paced around while sniffing the pavement. Cleo swallowed, standing up. "Do you smell him!?"

When Smokey sat down in defeat, Cleo knew what she had to do. "Come on!" she tugged Smokey's collar and directed him towards the park. "We have to find him!"

The wind chimes knocked against one another in a quiet melody outside the window as Euna poured fresh Mandarin tea for her guests.

"I was trapped between both of these worlds for so long," she explained, handing a teacup to Draculaura. "But I never lost hope, because I knew the worlds would collide someday,"

"How long were you there?" Clawd wanted to know.

Euna sipped on her tea, thinking. "It was about 150 years ago. I tried to venture to Ever After, but I ran into the wrong person. She was the Evil Queen,"

Raven looked up from her drink, surprised. "My mother!? Wait...no, it couldn't have been. She's not that old!"

"It wasn't your mother," Euna assured. "It was most likely her great-grandmother or something along those lines. There have been many Evil Queens, and many Snow Whites, just because the Destiny Complex of Ever After is so rigid,"

"It won't be someday!" Dexter jumped in. "The idea of your life depending on your destiny may be a myth,"

Euna shrugged. "It wasn't a myth when I was in Ever After. I..." she trailed off when she saw the confused looks on Raven and Dexter's faces."Oh. You don't know?"

"Know what?" Raven inquired.

Euna suddenly looked uncomfortable, and she set her cup down. "Nevermind. Now's not the time for this discussion,"

"Euna," Draculaura spoke up, a somewhat melancholy expression on her face. "If the Great Storm freed you, why didn't you look for me when it happened?"

"Oh, Laura," Euna reached out and touched her friend's face gently. "How could I have known where to begin? I was so disoriented after the storm; I had no idea how much time had passed or where I even was. These people," she gestured to the window. "This community- they were so kind to me. They accepted me right away, got me a home, and they've been caring for me ever since. All except Carlotta and her friends," she gave her guests a puzzled look. "Tell me again: why were you so bent on finding Carlotta?"

The four exchanged glances, and Draculaura took a breath. "Euna, there's a monster hunter named Van Hellscream, and he's teamed up with the Evil Queen. They've manipulated monsters into joining their side, and Carlotta was one of them. We've dealt with Van Hellscream before, and he's a ruthless monster hunter,"

Euna nodded slowly. "I see...and you hope to convince Carlotta to turn against him?"

"That's the idea,"

"It's not a good idea," Euna responded curtly. "Carlotta may seem like she's unintelligent, but believe me: she's smart as a whip, and she knows what she's doing. She's the descendant of demons, specifically ones that feed off of fear. Her ancestors killed children for fun,"

Dexter grimaced at that. "Well, in that case, I guess there's no convincing her,"

Draculaura was a bit disappointed. "We hoped there was some good in her, but if she's a demon..."

"Not all demons are completely evil," Euna went on. "They can lead normal lives without hurting anyone. Actually, if you want to get to Carlotta, connecting with her brother would be the easiest and safest way,"

Raven perked up. "She has a brother?"

Euna reached for a bookcase behind her and pulled out a magazine. It was the local magazine _'Scare Week'_ , and what appeared to be a vampire woman in a long gown posed on the front. Euna gestured to the woman. "That's her brother,"

There was a pause, and Clawd remarked, "That's a woman,"

"No, no," Euna quickly answered. "That's Tempest, Carlotta's twin. He's a shapeshifter, just like her, and he's a model. He fills in for any model, regardless of gender, who maybe can't make it to a shoot. He's incredibly talented, and he works as a theme-park performer on the side,"

"A theme park?" Draculaura tilted her head. "Which one?"

Euna thought for a moment. "Scarien Lake, I believe it's called. I've met Tempest before- he stopped here a week ago to drop some of Carlotta's belongings,"

Clawd was skeptical. "Wait...so, they still talk?"

"They hate each other," Euna sighed. "I didn't see them interact, but the residents who did say it was incredibly awkward. She didn't even make eye contact with him,"

"If he works at Scarien Lake, we can visit him!" Draculaura suggested. "It's not that far from here!"

Euna chuckled. "Laura, he might be busy! I don't think he'd like to be bothered about his estranged sister,"

"It's worth a shot," shrugged Clawd. "We could learn something very important,"

Euna thought for a moment and then nodded. "Fine. Perhaps it would be nice to get out for a bit,"

Draculaura grinned, and she jumped down from her chair. "Let's go!"

Elsewhere, the sounds of whispering met Deuce's ears.

He jerked awake, looking around and seeing nothing but black. He tried to move, only to find his wrists immobilized by something. He could feel himself start to hyperventilate, and he let out a panicked yell. _Where am I!?_

Deuce took a moment to breathe, and he that was when he noticed something was on his face. It wasn't his shades, but a blindfold, and he reasoned that this was why he couldn't see. He tried to move again, this time realizing that he was bound by a rope.

He writhed his hands, hoping he could undo the knot, but he stopped when the sound of a door opening echoed through the room. Deuce made a quick mental note: the door was to the left of him, and the room was mostly empty.

"You're awake, Mr. Gorgon," a male voice mused, and Deuce knew it right away.

"Van Hellscream," he looked in the direction of the voice. "Kidnapping kids is your new thing, huh?"

Van Hellscream snickered. "Not exactly, just monster children who don't know their place,"

"Know my place?" Deuce squirmed, trying in vain to free himself. "Is that why you blindfolded me, to 'put me in my place'? You're a coward!"

Deuce felt Van Hellscream touch his face- his hands were cold. "No, Deuce, I'm not a coward. Talk to me like that again, and I can have your eyes removed,"

When Van Hellscream said this, Deuce tensed up and stopped tugging at the rope. "You...you wouldn't do that,"

"Why not?" Van Hellscream snickered once more. "You don't know what I'm capable of. None of you monsters do,"

Deuce swallowed hard, going silent. After a few seconds, he spoke. "Why am I here?"

"To do what you did to me, you miserable creature,"

"You're going to petrify me?"

Van Hellscream tutted. "Of course not. I'm going to keep you down here as a prisoner for as long as I feel like, you understand? Perhaps I'll give you to Carlotta to play with, or maybe I'll have some fun of my own. I might cut off one of your snakes and send it to your mother,"

"She'll kill you," Deuce hissed, clenching his hands.

"Will she?" Van Hellscream scoffed. "I could defeat her with a mirror. You give yourself and your mother way too much credit, young man," he stood up and walked away. "I'll be back in an hour, and I'll give you vinegar to drink,"

The door slammed shut, and Deuce listened to the echo again. He was definitely in some sort of dungeon.

He continued to struggle with the rope, hoping that he could somehow untie the knot with sheer willpower.

* * *

 **Hello, again! Sorry for the inactivity lately. Life's been keeping me busy: I'm registering for next semester's classes, and I have other adult stuff I'm trying to do. I'm turning nineteen soon, which feels weird to say...**

 **Any thoughts on today's chapter? Let me know in a review down below, and I'll answer any questions you may have if I am able!**


	48. Chapter 48

Chapter 48:

The rush of the lake's waves rang above the crowds of monsters at Scarien Lake. It wasn't a particularly hot day, but the water park section was open for anyone who was willing to enjoy it. The rest of the park's attractions were open as well.

Yet, a group of five teenagers, a mix of both humans and monsters, weren't there for the attractions. They were there for a very specific monster: Tempest Monsoon, who they were told worked there.

"How will we know what he looks like?" Clawd wondered aloud, glancing around as they stopped by the children's attractions. "He is a shapeshifter, after all,"

Euna furrowed her brows, trying to remember. "Well...I understand that he plays many characters here. One of them is a dragon,"

"Skippy the House Dragon!" Draculaura exclaimed. "The park's mascot! He can't be far from here, then, and we'll know if it's him since he doesn't need a costume,"

Raven caught sight of a nearby sign that had a list of times and dates. "It says here that Skippy's performing at the Little Adventurers' Theatre," she pointed up ahead to a stadium-like structure. "Is that it?"

Clawd rolled his eyes. "Ugh, yes. My younger siblings have dragged me there several times. If you want to be in a crowd of screaming kids, be my guest, but I'm not going in,"

Draculaura turned to Clawd, a rather upset look coming on her face. "But Clawd! This is important!"

"Yeah, but..." Clawd tried to phrase his words carefully. "How do you even know if Tempest wants to see you?"

Raven shrugged. "It's worth it to try,"

Euna stepped in, suggesting, "Clawd, what if you waited around while we went looking for Tempest?"

"That's a good idea," Dexter appeared to be rather uncomfortable, and he gripped the sides of his head. "I think I'm getting a migraine, I'd really like to sit somewhere,"

"Of course!" Clawd took Dexter's arm, nodding at the girls. "Go do what you need to do, I'm gonna get Dexter out of the sun,"

While all this was happening, no one paid any mind to the girl stumbling through the crowds in a fine skirt, with a dragon on a leash in one hand and a stuffed toy in the other. Therapy pets were quite common in New Salem, so Smokey didn't raise any eyebrows.

Cleo walked all around the park, showing photos of Deuce to passerby and begging to know if anyone had seen him. All the answers were negative, and Cleo was getting more and more frustrated by the second.

Finally, out of pure stress and anxiety, Cleo stopped at a food stand called the Patty Shack. She should've felt guilty for what she was about to do, but she had a feeling Duece wouldn't mind, so she fished a coupon out of his wallet to use.

Upon stepping up to the counter, Cleo was surprised to see someone she hadn't expected to see working there. "Ghoulia!?"

Ghoulia looked up from the cash-register, equally surprised but happy to see her friend. Rather than asking Ghoulia when she'd begun working her, Cleo immediately began venting about what had happened.

"Ghoulia, Deuce is gone! I don't know what happened! He disappeared without any sort of warning- he left behind his wallet! Oh, h-here," her hands shaking, Cleo handed over the coupon. "Could I just...could I just have something with a lot of cheese!?"

Ghoulia nodded vigorously, accepting the coupon and punching in the number. After a moment, she made a series of grunts at Cleo, which meant something like, _"My shift's about to end soon. Go sit down, and we'll talk about it more,"_

Moments later, Cleo sat at one of the tables, with Smokey at her side. Ghoulia threw in extra fries with the meal, just to be nice, but Cleo handed many of them to Smokey. Woody Woodpecker lay beside the tray, and Cleo only stared at him as she bit into her burger. Woody's sewn on smile was almost mocking her.

Ghoulia, now dressed in her regular clothes, sat beside Cleo and touched her arm. _"What happened, exactly?"_

Cleo took a deep breath. "Well, it all started when we went to brunch with my family..."

In the theatre, the three girls sat among hordes of young children and parents as they waited for the show to start.

Raven was starting to regret this, and she wondered aloud, "Maybe it would have been better to wait until after this was over,"

"Nonsense!" Euna waved her off. "It will be nice to see Tempest in action,"

The lights dimmed, and an announcer's voice boomed, "Monsters of all kinds, please give it up for Skippy's Magical Birthday Show!"

All the children cheered and clapped, and the stage lights came up. A turtle creature waddled on stage, waving its limbs and proclaiming, "Skippy will be here any moment! We must get his surprise party ready!"

Draculaura leaned over to Euna and whispered, "That's not Tempest, right?"

"That's someone in a costume," Euna answered back.

Indeed, it was a giant mascot. In fact, more mascots crossed the stage, all performing a 'get ready' number for Skippy's birthday.

Raven groaned, covering her face. "This is the cheesiest thing I've ever seen,"

The music stopped, and one of the characters gasped. "Skippy's coming!"

They all ran and hid behind various set pieces, and the lights dimmed again. After a few seconds, they came back on, and voices screamed, _"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SKIPPY!"_

Euna pointed to the character in the center of the stage. "I was right, there he is,"

Skippy was a not in a costume. Instead, he was very much a child-like dragon, with wild eyes and a bright smile.

"Wow, everyone!" Skippy proclaimed in the most cheerful tone anyone could imagine. "I'm so happy everyone's here! Can you sing a song with me!"

All the children screamed in unison again, and Raven covered her face. "Oh, please, no! These songs are terrible!"

Another loud, chipper song filled the theatre, but it was mercifully short. The show ended, and everyone prepared to leave.

Euna caught sight of Skippy disappearing backstage, and she stood up. "There he goes. Quickly, you two,"

The three girls weeded through the dispersing crowd, glancing over their shoulders as they snuck behind the stage.

Surprisingly, no one stopped them as they headed down the hallway and to the row of dressing room doors. Finally, they came to Tempest's door, where they stopped.

Raven took a breath. "You ready?"

Draculaura nodded, reaching up and knocking on the door.

"Who is it?" a voice from inside called. It was the same voice as Skippy's, only slightly deeper.

Euna responded, "Tempest, it's Euna. Remember?"

There was a pause, a clicking sound, and the door opened. There stood a young man who looked oddly like Carlotta, but with short, red hair. He had nothing except a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt on, and he seemed rather confused as he stared at the girls.

"Uh, can I help you?" he asked, side-eyeing them.

"Yeah!" Draculaura stepped forward. "We want to talk about Carlotta, your sister,"

Tempest's mouth fell open. "Carl-? W-what is this about? How did you get back here?"

"Tempest," Euna broke in, her voice soft. "It's urgent. Carlotta's doing something very wrong, and you have to help us stop her,"

"She's always doing illegal stuff," he reached up like he was going to close the door. "Not my problem,"

Raven grabbed the door, stopping it from closing. "Tempest, please listen! She's going to start a whole war!"

Tempest paused, his brow furrowing. "A war? What, like a gang war or something?"

"No," Euna responded. "If you let us in, we can explain everything,"

"Hm," Tempest thought about it. He shrugged. "Sure, I have time. My boyfriend won't be back for a while. But, you have to promise me that you won't tell anyone else what I'm about to tell you,"

Outside, Clawd bought Dexter some ice water and let him sit in the shade as they waited for the girls to return. However, at this moment, Clawd spotted someone sitting near the Patty Shack.

"Cleo?"

It wasn't just her, either- Ghoulia and Deuce's pet dragon sat beside her, and all of them looked upset.

Clawd made sure Dexter was comfortable, and then he got up to talk to the two girls. "Is everything okay?"

Cleo gasped, standing up in a panic. "Oh, Clawd! Has Deuce tried to talk to you!?"

"No, he hasn't. Why?"

"He's missing!" Cleo's voice cracked slightly. "I think something terrible happened! He's not answering his phone, either!"

Right then, Cleo's phone started buzzing, and she looked down. She felt her heart leap when she saw the contact name. "Deuce!"

Yet, when she answered it, a cold sinking feeling trickled through her as she heard the following words: "Hello, Miss DeNile. Don't talk, just listen- I have your boyfriend. If you want him, you'll have to come get him. Do not get the police involved, we will know if you do,"

Cleo knew the voice, and she growled through gritted teeth, "Where is he, Van Hellscream!?"

There was a pause, and then a laugh. "What's the fun in telling you, my dear?"

The phone clicked, and the call ended. Cleo was still for a moment, and then she slowly laid the phone down.

"Who was that?" Clawd asked, worried.

Cleo's eyes shifted to Woody Woodpecker, and the rage she'd been building up exploded. Nearly screaming, she snatched up the doll and dug her manicured nails into the fabric, ripping him wide open and scattering his bean-bag filling everywhere. Clawd and Ghoulia just stared in shock as Cleo continued to mutilate the doll with her nails.

This went on for about thirty seconds until the doll was ripped in half, and Cleo took a deep breath to calm herself. "Did you see that?" she spoke after a few seconds. Her voice quivered. " _That's_ what I'm going to do to Van Hellscream,"

* * *

 **Hi, everyone! Sorry for the short length of this update, but I've been remiss these past few days, so I thought I'd just give you this for now. Also, I have an announcement.**

 **As I speak, I am writing an outline for a future story, but this one is different. It's a crossover, but Monster High is not involved this time around. Sometime within the next few weeks, I plan to release a Team Fortress 2 and Overwatch crossover, and it's going to be as chaotic as you'd probably think it is. There's no title yet, but there definitely will be one soon. Don't worry, this story will still be getting updates, but don't be surprised if you don't see anything for weeks at a time. I will keep you posted!**

 **As always, if you have any questions, comments, or concerns, let me know in a review! I'll try to get back to you if I can, but I'm pretty busy right now.**


	49. Chapter 49

Chapter 49:

Tempest poured some water from a pitcher into some plastic cups, handing them to the three girls. As he sat down, Euna remarked, "We saw your show. It was very good- you're good at what you do,"

"Hm?" Tempest's mouth quirked slightly into a smile. "Ah, thank you. This isn't the best job I've had, but it pays the bills," he cleared his throat. "So...we're here to talk about my crazy sister?"

Draculaura nodded. "Yes. All we need to know is...who is she?"

Tempest cringed. "Well- it's hard to say. She's changed so much since we were kids, so now I feel like I don't know who she is," he paused, only for a moment, and then continued. "We're a type of demon, Carlotta and I. We're a type that shape-shifts, as you know, and humans are scared of us,"

"Humans are afraid of lots of things," Euna noted in a soft voice.

"Yeah," Tempest's tone shifted a bit. "We weren't the only ones, either. We were in a clutch of eggs- like a spider, like how a spider lays eggs. I don't know what happened to our biological...parent," he said that word like it hurt him. "But the SCP took all of us to their headquarters or whatever, where they took the clutch apart. You do know the SCP, right?"

Draculaura sighed. "Yes. Unfortunately..."

Raven looked puzzled. "I don't,"

"All you need to know is that they're known for treating monsters like weird science experiments," Tempest explained. "They've been involved with a lot of controversies in the past. Anyway, they gassed the eggs after taking the clutch apart, and they killed all of our other siblings. Somehow, Carlotta and I survived, and an agent felt bad when he saw we were still alive. He took us in, and when we hatched, he raised us like normal kids. We spent most of our childhood thinking we were normal, but we weren't allowed to play with the other kids. I think Dad was just in denial: he lost a son, years ago, so he wanted my sister and me to fill that void. Carlotta found out about her powers first, and that's when things got bad,"

"How was she?" Euna wanted to know.

Tempest thought for a few seconds. "She was 14. Our next door neighbor's teenage daughter had just dyed her hair blue, and Carlotta wanted her hair just like it. Dad said no, and she had a fit. Later, when she and I were in our room, Carlotta stared at herself in the mirror for a really long time, wishing her hair would just turn blue. I told her she was being dumb, but it suddenly did. She figured out that she could change the way she looked just by thinking about, and pretty soon I found out I could do the same. It was pretty cool for a while- like we were in some kind of Disney Channel show about magical kids, but reality started setting in," he took a breath, his eyes looking at something far away as he remembered that awful day. "One day, a bunch of strange men showed up at our house. They broke things, raided the drawers, and pointed a gun in my face while demanding to know where my sister was. My dad ran in, and we found out what had happened: Carlotta showed her power to a few neighborhood girls, and one of their moms saw. She called the SCP, and now they were coming to take us away. They were going to kill us,"

Draculaura reached out and took Tempest's hand. She said nothing, but she understood. She recalled the night the vampire hunters raided her home. Such an awful night...

Tempest cleared his throat, looking away. "So...when they learned our dad once worked for them, they took him first. They said he was a traitor, and that he knew too much and couldn't be in this society. They took him away from Carlotta and me, and we never saw him again," his voice broke, and he covered his face. "I...I'm sorry-"

"No, no," Euna assured, her voice gentle. "You're fine,"

He took a deep breath after a moment. "Carlotta was livid, and so was I. The agents came back to take us away, but...something happened. Carlotta's face...just...split open. She turned into this...this creature, with a bunch of razor teeth and tentacle things. I didn't know how to react, but all of the sudden, I felt myself turn into the same thing. What I didn't know at the time was that those were our true forms, what we really are under everything else," Tempest's brows knitted together, his hands squeezing around his plastic cup. "We attacked the agents. We killed them, and we got away. When we escaped, we ended up in the streets, and we had a big argument over what to do next. Carlotta wanted to go to the SCP center and get our dad back, but I wanted to go to the police. I didn't want to kill anyone else, but she'd tasted blood once and wanted more. I almost think she didn't want to save our dad- she wanted to kill. I went to the police station and made up a story about my dad being murdered, and the police never found anything, unsurprisingly. The SCP was probably paying them not to look into it. I got adopted into an all-monsters foster home, and I found Carlotta about a year later. She'd dropped out of college, she'd become both a prostitute and professional killer, and she was living with a bunch of scary drug-addicts. She was never the same, and she talked to me like I was below her or something. It was like my real sister died, and some sleazy pothead took over her body, which sounds like a great movie except it's not entertaining at all," he did a strange laugh, but it was forced. "We only met up a few times after that, like on holidays, but it was never the same. I don't think it'll ever be the same again,"

The girls thought over what they'd heard, and Raven inquired, "What was Carlotta like before all this?"

Tempest winced at his memory, trying to think. "Huh...she was a regular teenager, I guess. She liked boybands, wore lots of makeup, and she had a good sense of humor. We were kind of anti-social since our dad homeschooled us, but she loved hanging out with the few friends she did have. But, she was also really sadistic in a weird way. She liked horror movies, and she was obsessed with reading about serial killers," he stared into his cup and then chuckled a little. "She was my best friend, though. For a long time,"

Euna closed her eyes slowly, thinking in silence. "It would seem," she began. "That Carlotta cannot be redeemed or reasoned with. She's too far gone to save, I'm afraid,"

Draculaura glanced at her friend, her brow creased in worry. "Does that mean...?"

"She must either be terminated or institutionalized," Euna stated. "It's for everyone else's good,"

"W-what do you mean!?" Tempest looked offended all of the sudden. "She's not...she's not like a sick dog or something! She's..."

"You still love her," Raven remarked, her eyes downcast. "Don't you?"

Tempest hesitated. "Well...no, I-" he sighed in defeat. "How could I not? She's my sister, she's the only family I have. If I lose her, I'll have no one left,"

"Tempest, you love what you want her to be," Raven lifted her head, her voice firm. "You don't love her for who she really is. The sister you had then isn't the one you have now,"

Tempest buried his face in his hands, letting out a shaky breath. "I-I mean...you're not wrong. I just want everything to be the way it was,"

"I know," Raven's voice was nearly a whisper as she touched his hand.

Tempest's phone vibrated, and he jolted at the sound. He took the phone out of his pocket, glancing at the screen. "M-my boyfriend's here," he wiped his eyes, standing up. "I gotta go. Thanks for talking,"

"No, thank you," Draculaura slung her purse over her shoulder as she stood up. "This couldn't have been easy to talk about,"

Later, Tempest left, and the three girls walked back into the park. Draculaura noticed Raven had her hands stuffed in her pockets, and there was a pensive look on her face. After a few minutes, Draculaura finally asked, "Everything okay, Raven?"

Raven swept some hair away from her face, chewing on her lip. "I...no, not really. Talking to Tempest about his sister made me think about my mom, and I just..."

"Why did you think of her?" Euna wanted to know.

"The way he talks about Carlotta makes me think of my mom and me," Raven explained. "My mom is evil, there's no doubt about that, and she's hurt a lot of people. But, despite everything, I love her. Or, at least, I thought I did," she swallowed, blinking back tears. "Now that we've talked to Tempest, I've realized that I loved all the good memories I had with my mom, and not her. She loved me then, and she loves me still, but she's starting to love her power more," her voice broke, and she looked away. "Sometimes I wish she could stop being what she is now and start being my mom again,"

Draculaura wrapped an arm around Raven's shoulders, squeezing her into a gentle hug. "Oh, Raven! Don't worry, you have all of us on your side,"

Euna watched as Raven turned and hug Draculaura back, and they stayed like that for a moment. "There may be some good left in the Evil Queen," Euna commented. "She could be salvaged, and she could be your mother again,"

Raven pulled away, wiping her eyes and sniffling. "I hope so. Maybe that's just wishful thinking, though,"

"Draculaura!" a voice barked out from a few feet away, and Draculaura whirled over her shoulder to look.

"Clawd?" her brow furrowed when she saw her boyfriend running towards her. "Clawd, what's wrong?"

When he finally reached her, he grabbed her shoulders and exclaimed, "There's a lot going on, and I don't even know where to start!" he took a deep breath. "Van Hellscream kidnapped Deuce, we're trying to get a hold of Medusa, but now a talking cow is walking around looking for you!"

Draculaura paused, running the information through her mind again. "What?"

"I..." he shook his head, taking her hand. "Follow me!" he gestured to Raven and Euna. "You, too!"

* * *

 **Hi, again! Yes, you get a cliff-hanger ending to this chapter. Sorry, but my life's kinda hectic at the moment. I haven't really had time to write as much as I've been wanting to. I literally have two weeks of the semester left, and then I'm on summer break! You'll be seeing lots of updates, then.**

 **Also, I should probably mention: I've started work on another story. I talked a bit about this at the end of the last chapter, but this new story isn't Monster High related. It's a crossover between Team Fortress 2 and Overwatch, so if you're familiar with either of those things, it would mean a lot to me if you checked that out! The first chapter has been posted, and the story is called "Deliverance".**

 **In the meantime, I'd love to hear your thoughts on this chapter! Can Carlotta be redeemed? Could the Evil Queen ever be redeemed? Do you have any theories? Let me know in your review down below, and I'll see you in the next update!**


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